At least five people have been killed in a pileup in Fort Worth, Texas, with WKYC Channel 3 claiming that there were eight fatalities.
The crash happened at roughly 6 a.m. on Thursday morning on Interstate 35 with between 75 and 100 vehicles involved. It came shortly after a winter storm passed through, bringing with it freezing rain and sleet. The Fort Worth Fire Department added that in addition to the deaths, roughly 36 motorists were transported to local hospitals, several of which have critical injuries.
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“The vehicles are just mangled,” spokesman from local ambulance service MedStar Matt Zavadsky told The Guardian. “Multiple tow trucks are on scene. It’s going to take a lot to disentangle this wreck. The roadway was so treacherous from the ice that several of the first responders were falling on the scene.”
https://twitter.com/NorthTXWeather/status/1359865986900451330
The conditions were so treacherous that an ambulance responding to the crash was hit by another vehicle but sustained only minor damage. Buses were also brought to the scene and loaded with those involved in the crash to ensure they wouldn’t get hypothermia standing out in the cold.
“Quite frankly, for many of us, this is a career event,” Zavadsky added. “You know, many of us have been in this profession for a very long time. We train for this type of a scenario, but you never really expect it to happen.”
The Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management has set up a family reunification center for those looking for their loved ones that may have been involved in the crash.