Nov 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 11

AROUND THE COUNTRY NEW

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.

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