Posted on 10/24/2023 8:45:50 AM PDT by crusty old prospector
Dense fog and smoke from two marsh fires collided early Monday to create a "superfog" that blanketed Interstate 55, causing a mile of deadly, chain-reaction crashes that killed seven motorists and shut down the highway in both directions, authorities said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
At least 158 vehicles were involved in the pileups and the search for victims was ongoing late Monday, according to Louisiana State Police. Twenty five people were transported to area hospitals with injuries, and many others sought medical assistance on their own, state police said.
Fires also broke out along a portion of the crash scene, and police were attempting to move a tanker truck carrying a hazardous liquid to better assess vehicles in that area. More fatalities were possible, they said.
“We’re grateful because we’re alive,” said Clarencia Patterson Reed, 46, who witnessed at least two people perish when their box truck crashed into a flat-bed trailer. “We’re here to tell you what we see up here because some people will not get that chance. It’s bad.”
They see the smoke/fog and speed up
“Forget it Jake, it’s Loser-anna”
That’s a juvenile thing to say. My son had just driven through the fog minutes before the accidents.
I-55 in Illinois can be a similar section. Sixty years ago I saw my first hundred car ice storm pile up north of St Louis on that highway.
It’s a juvenile place, full of corruption, filth and drive-thru daquiri stands
They see the smoke/fog and speed up
...or slow down to 2mph, but stay on the road.
I think you just described Washington DC.
“I got bright LED lights and 4-wheel drive!
I don’t have to adjust my speed for conditions, or leave the 2-second gap between the vehicle in front!!!”
- last words of the driving doofuses
“- last words of the driving doofuses”
yes, I admit there were innocent people caught up in there too, ones who did everything right and still suffered
but I see this all the time, entitled people racing around, often well over the speed limit ... and the cops do nothing about it
There is no safe place on the highway in those situations.
Usually ice is the culprit.
No lie. We had a 100 plus pileup in Salt Lake years ago when there was heavy fog. There was a news crew on the scene and they filmed more cars piling up. Fools don’t slow down for fog.
Fog and smoke are not exactly new experiences for drivers on that stretch of I-55, same as on I-10 near the Atchafalaya Basin. Usually when visibility gets bad, the State Police activate a convoy system where cars line up in a single lane behind a cruiser with its strobes on, and convoy groups are spaced several miles apart with extra cruisers in between to report stragglers, accidents, breakdowns, etc. to the approaching convoy groups. It’s effective and a familiar sight... I wonder why it wasn’t used in this case.
I-55 in Illinois can be a similar section. Sixty years ago I saw my first hundred car ice storm pile up north of St Louis on that highway.
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About 30 years ago I drove I-55 from St. Louis to Lincoln, Illinois in one hellacious blizzard. 130 mile trip, took me 7 hours.
The entire trip, I was following the tail lights ahead of me as that was all I could see. Had that car gone off the road, I’d have been right there with him.
Some years ago in the winter, I had to drive home in the dark from Denver(about 200 miles) in the snow & it took about 8 hours. Fortunately,we don’t have many ice storms out here & traffic is lighter as well.
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