NEW ORLEANS – Seven people died and at least another two dozen were injured in a massive chain reaction reaction crash that backed up traffic for 11 miles on a Louisiana interstate, according to reports.
“Super fog” creating near zero visibility conditions was a major contributing factor to the 158 vehicle pileup on Interstate 55 Monday morning, according to Louisiana State Police.
State Police cautioned that more fatalities could be discovered as the entanglement is cleared, Fox News Digital reported.
After the Louisiana Department of Traffic Development reported an 11-mile backup, law enforcement authorities later said a long stretch of I-55, a 24-mile-long highway near New Orleans, is expected to be closed “for the foreseeable future.”
First responders and emergency crews worked for hours after the crash to clear debris from both northbound and southbound lanes, state police said.
Police confirmed that a portion of the large scene caught fire shortly after the initial chain reaction collision.
Louisiana State Police showed photos of the pileup, which resembled a war zone due to the fire and destruction.
The crash involved at least 158 vehicles Monday morning. (Louisiana State Police)
One survivor said she heard the sound of metal crunching and tires popping as cars wrecked into one another for a considerable amount of time.
“It was ‘Boom. Boom.’ All you kept hearing was crashing for at least 30 minutes,” Clarencia Patterson Reed told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.
Another driver told the outlet that a pickup truck crashed into his vehicle “and took me for a ride” after he hit the brakes to slow down.
Christopher Coll, 41, had to kick open his passenger door to crawl out of his mangled automobile. Once outside, he ran to assist others stuck inside their vehicles and pulled one person out through their car window, he said, according to the New York Post.
Authorities erected a large tent with portable restrooms and a communications center to stage the recovery and cleanup, Storm Chaser Brandon Clement told FOX Weather.
Lance Scott recalled the incredible good fortune he experienced in the mass casualty event.
“I happened to be in a little pocket of about probably 15 cars with no damage,” said Scott. “And probably two or 3 seconds after we came to a stop, you just heard boom, boom, boom, boom, collision after collision behind us.”
Additional fatalities could be located once the crash scene is completed cleared, police said. (Louisiana State Police)
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said that he and his wife are “praying for those hurt and killed” in the crash.
“Please join me and Donna in praying for those hurt and killed in today’s tragic I-55 crash, as well as their families. The combination of wildfire smoke and dense fog is dangerous, and I want to encourage all Louisianans in affected areas to take extreme caution when traveling,” Gov. Edwards said.
Gov. Edwards Statement on I-55 Traffic Accident #lagov pic.twitter.com/AHYMsthS2n
— Gov. John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) October 23, 2023
The governor also encouraged residents to donate blood as a way to get involved and help.
“I also want to thank the first responders and medical personnel who have worked so diligently to save lives and render aid. The best way you can help them, besides exercising caution on the road, is to donate blood at your local blood donation center. It will help replenish supplies that are being drained today to care for the wounded,” Gov. Edwards said.
