Manchac, Louisiana – Louisiana State Police revealed a massive 158 car crash occurred Monday morning along I-55 just outside of New Orleans, killing at least seven people and injuring several more. The fatalities may increase.
The exact number of wounded is not currently known but at least 25 individuals were rushed to the hospital, some of them in critical condition according to reports.
The horrifying incident occurred during “super fog” conditions. Ari Sarsalari, a meteorologist from the Weather Channel, explained what caused the super fog and how it contributed to the pileup.
It was a particularly dense patch of fog. And if you look closely here on the east side of New Orleans, you can see the origins of some marsh fires that are going on.
And with the wind blowing from the southeast toward the northwest, that was a really unlucky direction for the wind to be blowing in this case because it added some smoke into the picture. Smoke was directly blowing into that batch of dense fog and that creates something called a “super fog.” And that’s what happened on the west side of Lake Pontchartrain with this big pileup on Monday morning.
Click the link below to watch the video.
What contributed to yesterday’s awful, deadly pileup in Louisiana? We explain what “superfog” is and how it likely played a role: https://t.co/eTgqNkIXOP
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) October 24, 2023
Drone footage and videos show terrifying scenes from the aftermath of the massive wreck. Once can see a long stretch of mangled and burned cars.
Dozens and dozens of the cars can be seen piled on top of each other.
The Daily Mail reported many people stood on the side of the road or on the roof of their vehicle looking at disaster, while others desperately yelled for help.
Here are two videos showing the extent of the apocalyptic disaster.
Once the #superfog cleared the extent of the #pileup on I-55 west of New Orleans could be captured by air …
The extent of the damage is massive, with car fires and cars off the bridge. Sadly, we are hearing of fatalities as a result of the pileup. pic.twitter.com/hJOT5VtzRV
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) October 23, 2023
One survivor of the crash, Clarencia Patterson Reed, told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate she heard the cars slamming into one another for at least a half-hour.
It was ‘Boom. Boom.’ All you kept hearing was crashing for at least 30 minutes.
Another driver told the The Times-PIcayune/The New Orleans Advocate that a pickup truck struck his vehicle “and took me for a ride” after he slammed the brakes.
The combination of the super and so many vehicles catching fire complicated rescue efforts. The New York Post reported at least one car went over the side into the water of lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas, but the driver somehow escaped unscathed.
None of the deceased as of Monday night have been publicly identified at this point as state police were still working to notify families according to the Post.
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