Nov 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 11

AROUND THE COUNTRY
NEW ORLEANS, LA.
“Super Fog” to blame for massive 158 vehicle,11-mile pile up
on I-55. At least 7 fatalities were reported at the time.
NEW ORLEANS, LA. – Seven people
died and at least another two
dozen were injured in a massive
chain reaction crash that backed up
traffic for 11 miles on a Louisiana
interstate, according to reports.
“Super fog” creating near zero
visibility conditions was a major
contributing factor to the 158 vehicle
pileup on Interstate 55 Monday
morning, according to Louisiana
State Police.
State Police cautioned that more
fatalities could be discovered as the
entanglement is cleared, Fox News
Digital reported.
After the Louisiana Department
of Traffic Development reported an
11-mile backup, law enforcement
authorities later said a long stretch
of I-55, a 24-mile-long highway
near New Orleans, is expected to be
closed “for the foreseeable future.”
First responders and emergency
crews worked for hours after the
crash to clear debris from both
northbound and southbound lanes,
state police said.
Police confirmed that a portion of
the large scene caught fire shortly
after the initial chain reaction collision.
Louisiana State Police showed
photos of the pileup, which resembled
a war zone due to the fire and
destruction.
One survivor said she heard the
sound of metal crunching and tires
34 The BLUES
popping as cars wrecked into one
another for a considerable amount
of time.
“It was ‘Boom. Boom.’ All you kept
hearing was crashing for at least 30
minutes,” Clarencia Patterson Reed
told The Times-Picayune/The New
Orleans Advocate.
Another driver told the outlet that
a pickup truck crashed into his vehicle
“and took me for a ride” after
he hit the brakes to slow down.
Christopher Coll, 41, had to kick
open his passenger door to crawl
out of his mangled automobile.
Once outside, he ran to assist others
stuck inside their vehicles and
pulled one person out through their
car window, he said, according to
the New York Post.
Authorities erected a large tent
with portable restrooms and a
communications center to stage the
recovery and cleanup, Storm Chaser
Brandon Clement told FOX Weather.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards
said that he and his wife are “praying
for those hurt and killed” in the
crash.