Authorities say a massive 40-car pileup on the I-10 highway in New Orleans left two people dead, sent 25 to hospitals and shut down the interstate in both directions for more than 10 hours.
According to New Orleans police, the crash happened Thursday around 4am on the westbound lanes heading toward the city’s business district.
WWLTV reports that those who were among the first on the scene recalled a horrific and eery scene of twisted wreckage amid fog and smoke and the sounds of the injured and scared.
“You just hear all kinds of calls and people screaming for help,” said tow truck driver Wesley Ratcliff, who got to the scene not long after it happened.
It is believed that two men traveling in separate pickup trucks died in the accident. Neither victim was identified.
In addition to the two killed, twenty-five people were hospitalized, some in critical condition, while 37 others reported injuries, but refused treatment.
A firefighter was also injured during a rescue operations and suffered minor lacerations.
While authorities have yet to discover the cause of the crash, they believe it was weather related as multiple drivers reported a thick smoke or fog that abruptly limited visibility on westbound lanes of the interstate.
Here is a local news clip on the New Orleans 40-car traffic accident.