At least five people died tragically this morning when weather conditions triggered a multi-vehicle pileup along Interstate 35 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Dozens were rushed to area hospitals, including several people in critical condition.
Between 70 to 100 Trucks, 18 Wheelers, and Passenger Vehicles Involved in I-35 Fort Worth Crash
The mass casualty event occurred around 6:00 a.m. on February 11th, as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex experienced a wintry mix of sleet and accumulating ice. Between 70 and 100 trucks, 18 wheelers, and passenger vehicles were involved in the chain-reaction crash, with the scene stretching along I-35W for more than a mile.
According to Fort Worth police, I-35 was backed up in both directions from I-30 to I-820, and some motorists were stuck in their vehicles for hours.
“We are going vehicle by vehicle by vehicle to make sure that anybody that is still trapped in the vehicles has been extricated if possible,” a Fort Worth fire spokesperson said late Thursday morning.
With temperatures only in the mid-20s, first responders were taking precautions to keep everyone warm.
“We were able to get a couple of buses from the fire department to actually put some of the victims from the crash — who were not patients but could’ve become patients because of hypothermia — into the buses, so they got out of the cold environment,” said a spokesperson for Medstar Ambulance.
At Least 36 People Rushed to Area Hospitals, Some with Critical Injuries
At least 36 people were being treated at local hospitals, including several with critical injuries. But estimates on the number of injured was changing rapidly as crews worked their way through the crash scene, and the number of patients is “growing by the minute.”
So far, authorities have not released any additional information on the dead or injured.
As of 8:30 a.m., some cars remained wedged underneath other vehicles. Many patients could not be moved from the scene initially because an 18-wheeler had partially blocked the road. First responders also had difficulty getting to the crash site because of the icy roadway, and even walking at the scene was treacherous.
Winter Weather Causing Havoc on Texas Roads Today
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is under a winter weather advisory until 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.
This morning’s chain-reaction crash was just one of several reported today in parts of Texas dealing with challenging weather conditions. In Austin, for example, another pileup involving 26 vehicles sent at least five people to the hospital. Ice was reportedly covering the overpass where that wreck occurred.
The Arlington Police Department reported that it had at least 23 crashes and that officers were helping five drivers whose cars were disabled or had spun out.
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