TX - 75-100 Car Pile Up, Fort Worth, at least 5 dead, Feb 2021

[coffeeandacig]

Viewer Warning - Graphic
Watch the moment a massive 50-vehicle pileup crash happened in Fort Worth | wfaa.com

The highway is completely blocked and it's been declared a "mass casualty" event. Dozens of people will need to be transported, officials said.

At least 75 to 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup crash Thursday morning on Interstate 35W in Fort Worth, including several 18-wheelers, officials said. At least five people have been confirmed dead. The total number of injuries remains unknown, Fort Worth police said.

Live coverage: At least 5 killed in 75-100 vehicle pileup crash on I-35W in Fort Worth, officials say | wfaa.com

Stay safe Texas...

 

[chaz]

TxDOT
Traffic cam.

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

Press conference just started:

5 deaths, dozens of injuries from icy wreck on I-35W in Fort Worth involving 70-100 vehicles

6 deaths at this time per officials at press conference.

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article249176120.html

From article:

The crash occurred in TEXPress lanes, which opened several years ago in the median of I-35W. The lanes require motorists to pay an electronic toll — either by affixing a TollTag to their windshield or by having their license plate photographed and receiving a bill in the mail — as a way to pay their way around congestion that chronically occurs near downtown Fort Worth.

Though videos taken by passers-by appear to show the pavement iced over when cars and trucks began to smash into each other, a spokesman for the North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners said the company was actively working to keep ice off the roads.

“NTE & NTE35W maintenance crews started pre-treating our corridors on Tuesday and have been spot treating since then,” spokesman Robert Hinkle said. “Our crews are now assisting emergency responders to manage the accident scene on 35W, and will continue treating the highways through the weekend and into next week.”

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

I am surprised people were out on the highways. I am in Dallas and freezing rain started early last night and continued overnight with the temperature staying well below freezing. It's 29 right now and hasn't risen above that since about 8 or 9 last night. My company sent a notice out overnight that our office is closed today due to unsafe driving conditions.

 

[MsBetsy]

This is the worst highway accident I have ever seen. Six people killed and I think LE said there have been about 64 patients treated at the hospital so far.

Do we know if there was a winter weather advisory that morning for the icy conditions? Had the road been sanded? I wonder if it was black ice and the drivers couldn't see it. From the video they seemed to be going pretty fast.

 

[MsBetsy]

I am surprised people were out on the highways. I am in Dallas and freezing rain started early last night and continued overnight with the temperature staying well below freezing. It's 29 right now and hasn't risen above that since about 8 or 9 last night. My company sent a notice out overnight that we were closed today due to unsafe driving conditions.

They said it was mostly people who had to work and truckers who were on the road. Apparently there were many health care workers involved. Imo

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

Do we know if there was a winter weather advisory that morning for the icy conditions? going pretty fast.

100% there was a winter weather advisory!

Winter weather advisory issued for Dallas-Fort Worth with freezing rain possible

 

[MsBetsy]

100% there was a winter weather advisory!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2021/02/10/winter-weather-advisory-issued-for-dallas-fort-worth-with-freezing-rain-possible/?outputType=amp&ved=2ahUKEwjEv_jo9-LuAhUKXKwKHaQ4Ak8QFjAFegQILxAB&usg=AOvVaw01t44GxJdKxkNKjymAWHeG&ampcf=1

Thanks. I'm on the east coast so I wasn't sure what the weather report was for that area. Sometimes it gets colder than they predict, or the temperature drops quickly. Ice can be more dangerous than snow, especially when you can't see it on the road.

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

A driver going the opposite direction posted on FB over 2 minutes video of the event with cars and big rigs approaching and crashing. And crashing and crashing and crashing. You can see the upper half of the crashes as the bottom half are obscured by walls. And you can definitely hear them. I've never seen anything like this before.

These appear to be high rates of speed. Were they not able to see far enough in advance that there was a stoppage of traffic and slow down? Was there a blind spot preceding the accident site? Were they unaware there was ice on the highway? You can see it on video-taker's side in this video and see wheels spinning as driving slowly over it. If aware did they assume the highways were treated?

 

[MimosaMornings]

“The speed limit on the NTE TEXpress Lanes is 75 mph, whereas the speed limit on the adjacent general highway lanes is 65 mph. During peak travel times, congestion-management pricing aims to keep the NTE TEXpress Lanes flowing at a minimum of 50 mph.”

North Tarrant Express FAQs | NTE TEXpress Lanes

Driving too fast for conditions.
The express lane is closed in, no way to escape or divert.
JMO

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

Thanks. I'm on the east coast so I wasn't sure what the weather report was for that area.

Sorry my exclamation point was only to emphasize the increasing warnings as the storm has approached. The polar vortex and it's effect on the DFW metroplex has been THE topic of conversation especially as it's approach has not lessened. The weatherpersons predicting some of the coldest air Dallas-Fort Worth has seen in decades:

 

[Gibbo214]

“The speed limit on the NTE TEXpress Lanes is 75 mph, whereas the speed limit on the adjacent general highway lanes is 65 mph. During peak travel times, congestion-management pricing aims to keep the NTE TEXpress Lanes flowing at a minimum of 50 mph.”

North Tarrant Express FAQs | NTE TEXpress Lanes

Driving too fast for conditions.
The express lane is closed in, no way to escape or divert.
JMO

I am sure that some people think that the speed limit is the speed that you must go. That big truck was flying.

 

[MsBetsy]

Sorry my exclamation point was only to emphasize the increasing warnings as the storm has approached. The polar vortex and it's effect on the DFW metroplex has been THE topic of conversation especially as it's approach has not lessened. The weatherpersons predicting some of the coldest air Dallas-Fort Worth has seen in decades:

Oh, that's ok, that's exactly how I interpreted it! I assumed it was unusually cold and people probably aren't used to driving in those conditions.

We just had about 32 inches of snow over the last week or so. I'm used to driving in it, but ice is a different story. I always slow way down and test the brakes to get an idea of how bad it is. It's almost impossible to slow down enough to avoid an accident in front of you, even driving 30 miles an hour.

All those vehicles involved really had no chance. They probably started sliding as soon as they hit the brakes.

By now the roads are well sanded around here. I imagine in Texas they didn't have that advantage.

 

[Knox]

That Fed Ex semi was moving on, horrifying to watch
In the passenger car cell phone video, visibility was pretty good but none of the cars looked like they were slowing. So I guess that was the ice factor?

 

[MimosaMornings]

Unfortunately there is no stopping on black ice.

If the speed limit was 75 and you’re not dealing with on/off ramp traffic - I would guess 75-85 miles per hour would be the norm.

JMO

TxDOT Working Round-the-Clock to Pretreat Roads Ahead of Ice

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

Interviews with a couple of people at the scene at the time of the crashes:

 

[weepingangel]

Video of the Texas pile up shows nearly a mile of wreckage - CNN Video

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

Victims identified, survivors recall terrifying scene as cars piled up in Fort Worth

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner has identified five of the six people who died in the crash: 54-year-old William Williams of Pahoa, 49-year-old Christopher Vardy of Boyd, 47-year-old Michael Wells of Justin, 45-year-old Aaron Watson of Fort Worth and 34-year-old Tiffany Gerred of Northlake.
........

 

[nrdsb4]

Reports said a fair amount of the victims were wearing scrubs. As a RN, I can confirm that if you work at a hospital, you are required to make your shift no matter the weather.

I have marveled at how so many people do not adjust their speed here in Texas when we get ice or snow. We are generally not skilled in driving in that weather. That stretch is a highway overpass, so I'm sure it was covered in ice. Once there was an accident, those behind who could not see the ice or were driving too fast were toast. My husband says there is a little hill right there, so the initial people coming upon the accident might not have been able to see it until too late.

So tragic.