Pennsylvania State Police say the initial accident occurred around 1:00 a.m. Tuesday at the ramp from I-476 onto I-76 eastbound. A vehicle driven by 20-year-old Arnold Khemdy of North Wales collided with the guardrail, becoming disabled. Khemdy then got out of his vehicle and fled, walking along I-76 eastbound in the right lane of travel.
At mile marker 332.8 in Lower Merion, Montgomery County, just east of Conshohocken, a group of motorcycles traveling in the right lane came upon Khemdy, one of which collided with the man.
Khemdy was tossed to the right shoulder of the roadway where he died from his injuries. The impact also ejected the motorcyclist, identified as 40-year-old Hour Song Chheng of Philadelphia, onto the highway. He too died at the scene.
A third vehicle was involved in the incident, but is not thought to have played any part in the death of either man.
Passenger vehicles trapped behind the accident scene were able to turn around, driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of the Expressway to the nearest exit. However, the drivers behind the wheel of larger vehicles, like tractor-trailers, were stuck for nearly five hours waiting for the scene to be cleared.
Police diverted eastbound traffic on I-76 onto I-476 between mile marker 337 and I-476. The ramps from I-476 to I-76 eastbound were closed as well.
Finally, shortly before 6:00 a.m. all eastbound lanes and ramps from I-476 were reopened to traffic.
State Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
