Six die in massive pileup as big freeze hits southern US
A massive crash involving more than 130 vehicles on an icy Texas interstate left six people dead and dozens injured Thursday amid a winter storm that dropped freezing rain, sleet and snow on parts of the United States.
At the scene of the crash on Interstate 35 near downtown Fort Worth, a tangle of semitrailers, cars and trucks had smashed into each other and had turned every which way, with some vehicles on top of others.
“There were multiple people trapped and requiring the use of hydraulic rescue equipment to successfully extricate them,” said Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis.
At least 65 people were treated at hospitals, with 36 taken by ambulance from the crash site, including three with critical injuries, said ambulance spokesman Matt Zavadsky.
The crash happened about 6am, as many hospital and emergency workers were heading to and from work, officials said.
“We did see a large number of people in scrubs, that had hospital IDs on … in some cases, our folks would know those folks,” Zavadsky said. “The roadway was so treacherous from the ice that several of the first responders were falling on the scene.”
The ice storm came as a polar vortex moved near the US-Canada border, resulting in colder weather farther south than usual, said Steve Goss, a meteorologist with the
National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Centre in Norman, Oklahoma.
“As a result we’re getting unusually or unseasonably cold air that’s spilling south across a good portion 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 rain and sleet fell. In Kentucky, the governor declared a state of emergency to free up funding and help agencies coordinate with reports of slick roads and downed power lines.
In southern Indiana, schools and government offices closed, and in Austin, Texas, more than two dozen vehicles were involved in a pileup on an icy highway. Goss said some parts of the US that did not normally get snowfall would probably see heavy amounts over the next several days. Some areas of the southern Plains region could get a foot or more.
Three-time Supercars series winner Scott McLaughlin is finding the transition to IndyCars tough.
The 27-year-old moved full-time to the single seaters earlier this year but said he’s still got a lot of learning to do before his first race in two months.
“The way that the car reacts and how I feel compared to how I did in a Supercar is certainly different,” McLaughlin told Gold AM. “A lot of different things compiled into one and you’re trying to learn that at such a fast rate as well, it does get a little overwhelming, that’s for sure.”
The Kiwi driver acknowledged he’s progressing well though, and is trying to take in as much as he can.
“There’s still plenty to come and I’m still getting better each time I go out, but it’s a long road and I’m coming into probably the toughest category in the world right now.
“With the announcement of Romain Grosjean joining the series . . . Jimmie Johnson, too, and we’ve obviously got Scotty Dixon who’s the greatest of all time in IndyCar, it’s going to be a tough ask and I’ve got a lot of learning to do but I’m looking forward to the challenge, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
McLaughlin is driving the No 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske and is being mentored by fourtime Indy 500 champion Rick Mears.
“He’s helping me a lot and he’s a legend in motorsport, so to have him in my corner and pushing me to no end, I count myself very lucky.
“He has been great — just bringing my head down to the ground a little bit and calming me down in times that I need it, but at the same time pumping me up when I need it and telling me that things are going pretty good, so it’s a healthy balance.” Tackling how an IndyCar runs compared with a Supercar is McLaughlin’s main focus until his first race on April 18 in Alabama. “The trust of how much grip the car has, there’s so much power, there’s about 850 horsepower in a car that weighs half of a Supercar, so the power to weight ratio is unbelievable. Big downforce and not only that, the competition between the teams is so tight.” After racing in Alabama, he will travel to Florida to race, and then to Texas — over three weeks — a busy start to the year.