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DALLAS (AP): A massive crash involving more than 130 vehicles on an icy Texas interstate left at least six people dead and dozens injured Thursday (Feb. 11) amid a winter storm that dropped freezing rain. sleet and snow in parts of the United States. .
At the crash site on Interstate 35 near downtown Fort Worth, a tangle of semi-trailers, cars and trucks had crashed into each other and turned in all directions, with some vehicles on top of others.
“Several people were trapped within the confines of their vehicles, requiring the use of hydraulic rescue equipment to successfully remove them,” said Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis.
At least 65 people sought care in hospitals, 36 of whom were taken by ambulance from the crash site, including several with serious injuries, said Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for MedStar, which provides ambulance service in the area.
The accident happened around 6 a.m. Thursday, as many hospital and emergency workers were on their way to and from work, so some of those involved were health workers and first responders, including police officers, authorities said. .
Zavadsky said his crews carry a mixture of sand and salt into ambulances, which they started using at the scene. At one point, he said, one of the ambulances was hit, but it only suffered minor damage and the crew members were fine.
“The road was so dangerous with the ice that several of the first responders were falling on the scene,” Zavadsky said.
The ice storm occurred when a polar vortex, a whirlpool of air that normally sits over the Earth’s poles, moved near the U.S.-Canada border, resulting in colder weather further south of the usual, said Steve Goss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction. Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
“As a result, we are getting unusually cold or unusually cold air that is spilling south across much of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains,” he said.
In Tennessee, police responded to about 30 traffic collisions and some flights were delayed at Memphis International Airport after freezing rains and sleet fell.
In Kentucky, the governor declared a state of emergency to free up funds and help agencies coordinate while responding to reports of slippery roads and downed power lines. And in southern Indiana, schools and government offices closed.
In suburban Austin, more than two dozen vehicles were involved in a collision on an icy road and five people were taken to a hospital, emergency officials said.
Goss said the smaller disturbances moving through the polar jet stream will bring “a wintry weather blow” to the southern parts of the country.
He said that some areas that normally do not receive snowfall will likely see large amounts in the coming days. He said current estimates show that some areas of the southern plains could be a foot or more. – AP
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