Slick Roads And Whiteout Conditions Cause 100-Car Crash In Colorado

A bomb cyclone hit Colorado earlier this week, with many areas being covered in snow. Conditions on the I-25 highway were particularly bad and the Wellington Fire Protection District revealed there was a “100-car accident” north of the town.

In a Facebook post, the fire department said they started fielding 911 calls about a multi-vehicle accident on northbound I-25 at approximately 10:10 am on Wednesday.

Crews responded to the scene and saw the initial six-car crash transform into “multiple multi-vehicle accidents, due to poor road conditions.” Given the magnitude of the incident, the I-25 was shut down and a warming center was opened by the Red Cross to help stranded motorists.

The Coloradoan reported all these accidents occurred on a one-mile stretch of I-25 and they primarily consisted of two huge crashes. One involved around 30 vehicles, while the second involved approximately 40.

Photos from the scene are pretty crazy, as you can see one truck rear-ended a semi and was then hit by another pickup. Somehow, the first truck’s rear wheels ended up on the hood of the second pickup. Another photo reveals three semis crashed into one another, while others show semis drove off the road in an attempt to avoid a collision.

Some of the accidents were pretty severe and several of the vehicles, including a Jeep Renegade, appear to be a total loss. Despite this, the Wellington Fire Protection District says there were no fatalities. However, there were a number of injuries, ranging “from minor to serious.”

It’s not hard to understand how these crashes occurred; video footage from Denver 7 showed near whiteout conditions in the state. As the reporter noted, visibility was limited to approximately 100 yards (~90 meters).