Icy Conditions Leads to 100 Vehicle Collision on Texas Highway, Leaving 5 Dead

Freezing rain and sleet led to a massive 18-wheeler pileup on a Texas highway, involving 100 vehicles, and leaving five dead and dozens of others injured.

snow highway
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Image via Getty/ DIRK WAEM

snow highway

Icy weather conditions in Texas caused a pileup that led to the deaths of at least five people.

NBC News reports that the collision involved 100 vehicles leading to dozen of injuries in the Fort Worth area on early Thursday morning. A spokesman from the Fort Worth Fire Department said officials were going car-to-car to see who needed medical attention following the “mass casualty incident” that saw tractor-trailers and other vehicles crash on Interstate 35. The highway has since been shuttered “to remove vehicles one by one,” according to the spokesman.

Officials had to use the Jaws of Life in order to open vehicles and rescue drivers who were trapped, ultimately sending 36 people to hospitals with different injuries. According to the outlet, a tractor-trailer slid on the highway at a high speed, sending some cars into the air. Cranes were later used to lift up cars that were piled on top of each other.

Fort Worth area saw freezing rain and sleet overnight, which led to hazardous circumstances during the most packed part of the morning commute.

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