Indiana State Police called it a miracle after a 45-car I-70 crash left no major injuries, turning a snowy highway into chaos
- Forty-five vehicles collided on snowy I-70 near Terre Haute Saturday.
- No major injuries were reported despite the massive chain reaction.
- Riley Fire Department called it their largest-ever crash response.
Technically, we’re still on the tail end of fall, but you wouldn’t know it by looking out the window in parts of the country. For much of the northern US, it already feels like winter has fully arrived. At least 45 people in Indiana learned that the hard way on Saturday, when a huge pile-up brought traffic to a standstill.
Thankfully, authorities say that there were a grand total of zero major injuries. Even so, the crash serves as a sharp reminder of how quickly road conditions can turn treacherous as temperatures drop.
The crash happened on Interstate 70 outside Terra Haute, Indiana, after some snow and ice turned the road into an impromptu skating rink. Slide-offs began as visibility diminished. Early collisions rapidly cascaded into a multi-vehicle chain reaction, scattering cars, trucks, and semi trucks across the road.
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Indiana’s Department of Transportation captured the mess in clear and stark detail. According to NBC 5, Indiana State Police Public Information Officer Matt Ames initially thought the pile-up included just a couple of dozen cars.
“This is about a 20-to-30 car pileup right here that’s unnecessary,” Ames said. “People just need to drive smart when the snow starts falling, reduce your speed, make sure you’re buckled up, and let’s just all be safe out there.”
Between those words and the time that the pile-up captured its last victim, that total ended up at 45. In what seems like nothing less than a miracle of physics and luck, police confirmed there were no major injuries throughout the ordeal.
A representative from the Riley Fire Department told WTWO 2 that the crash was the “largest wreck” the department had ever dealt with. Firefighters and troopers spent nearly six hours clearing I-70. By about 7 p.m. local time, traffic was flowing again.
While all of this was going on, the eastbound side of I-70 saw similar slide-offs but no major pileups. The National Weather Service had already issued a winter weather advisory for the county.
Snow totals could reach four inches with wind gusts of up to 35 mph. That might not sound like much, but it’s plenty enough to make roads dangerous.
Sometimes just a bit of fluid on a pristine road is bad enough to create a pileup. Consider this one more reminder that this time of year is rife with incidents like this. Let’s all be extra safe this year.
