At least 7 dead and 25 injured.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/lou...erstate-dead-injured

By Sarah Rumpf-Whitten | Fox News
Published October 23, 2023 9:31pm EDT

Seven people were killed, at least two dozen injured and 158 vehicles were damaged on an interstate in Louisiana during a "super fog" that left visibility near zero.

The crash on I-55, involving at least 158 vehicles, occurred on Monday morning due to heavy fog conditions, according to Louisiana State Police.

The Louisiana Department of Traffic Development reported an 11-mile backup.



Additional fatalities could be located once the crash scene is completed cleared, police said.

A long stretch of Interstate 55, a 24-mile-long highway near New Orleans, is expected to be closed "for the foreseeable future," police said.

For hours after the crash, emergency crews worked to clear debris from both northbound and southbound lanes, according to state police.

Storm Chaser Brandon Clement told FOX Weather that first responders and emergency crews had a large tent with portable restrooms and a communications center to stage the recovery and cleanup.

Police said that a portion of the large crash scene caught on fire shortly after the initial incident.

Photos from the Louisiana State Police show multiple car pileups, with some of the cars being severely burned from the accident.

Lance Scott recalled to FOX Weather the quick succession of crashes while on the highway.

"I happened to be in a little pocket of about probably 15 cars with no damage," said Scott. "And probably two or 3 seconds after we came to a stop, you just heard boom, boom, boom, boom, collision after collision behind us."

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said that he and his wife are "praying for those hurt and killed" in the crash.

"Please join me and Donna in praying for those hurt and killed in today’s tragic I-55 crash, as well as their families. The combination of wildfire smoke and dense fog is dangerous, and I want to encourage all Louisianans in affected areas to take extreme caution when traveling," Gov. Edwards said.

The governor also encouraged residents to exercise caution while on the foggy roads and to donate blood.

"I also want to thank the first responders and medical personnel who have worked so diligently to save lives and render aid. The best way you can help them, besides exercising caution on the road, is to donate blood at your local blood donation center. It will help replenish supplies that are being drained today to care for the wounded," Gov. Edwards said.

What I never understand about accidents like this is not that 158 vehicles piled up but that they entered a fog bank that is described as a "super fog" whatever the heck that is and maintained highway speed.

Reduced visibility means reduce your speed, and yes it also means hit your hazards because "super fog" is a hazard.

The accident still probably happens but it happens at car damaging speeds not car fatalities speed. For goodness sake, slow down in bad conditions. Nobody is impressed by your magical ability to see further than anybody else. Slow down, use hazards, exit the roadway if possible, minimize lane changes, avoid distractions, its common sense.

Driving on any American road nowadays is like rolling the dice with your life. Its Bike Week in Daytona around here, it is crazy town, nobody remembers the common sense rules of driving.

It was brutal yesterday morning. Took me 30min to drive 13 miles. Parked at an account, once the smoke mixed in I couldn’t see a car 2 parking spaces away

They are calling it “super fog” because the smoke from a smoldering marsh fire combined with the dense fog, created a total white out.

The same thing will happen in white out conditions in the snow. But one thing I learned about snow Is you can see a whole lot further without your headlights on. Drove across the continental divide in a snowstorm couldn't see 20 feet with the headlights on, turn them off and I could see a 1/2 mile or more.

The same thing will happen in white out conditions in the snow. But one thing I learned about snow Is you can see a whole lot further without your headlights on. Drove across the continental divide in a snowstorm couldn't see 20 feet with the headlights on, turn them off and I could see a 1/2 mile or more. Heavy Smoke/fog totally sucks 0 visibility no matter what you do.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
What I never understand about accidents like this is not that 158 vehicles piled up but that they entered a fog bank that is described as a "super fog" whatever the heck that is and maintained highway speed.

I suspect the problem is contributory: The people that panic and slow down way too fast (i.e.: Hit the binders) and the ones that carry on as if they weren't out-driving their visibility.

Nervous Nellie panics and hits the binders. The guy who drives like he's on a NASCAR course keeps going full bore. *BANG*! And the game is on.

whether fog, super fog, rain, heavy rain, snow, dust....dumb-fucks won't slowdown!!

quote:

Originally posted by southernmaninla:
The same thing will happen in white out conditions in the snow. But one thing I learned about snow Is you can see a whole lot further without your headlights on. Drove across the continental divide in a snowstorm couldn't see 20 feet with the headlights on, turn them off and I could see a 1/2 mile or more. Heavy Smoke/fog totally sucks 0 visibility no matter what you do.

Except now no one can see you.

As far as simply slowing down and turning on your hazards in heavy fog that results in zero visibility, you're kidding yourself if you think an accident like this is avoidable, even a deadly one. There will always be a chain reaction. The first couple of cars may be able to slow down enough to avoid it. But as more and more cars enter the fray, their time to react decreases with each car. Heavy fog can literally come at you like a brick wall. Perfectly clear one moment, zero visibility the next.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
What I never understand about accidents like this is not that 158 vehicles piled up but that they entered a fog bank that is described as a "super fog" whatever the heck that is and maintained highway speed.

Reduced visibility means reduce your speed, and yes it also means hit your hazards because "super fog" is a hazard.

The accident still probably happens but it happens at car damaging speeds not car fatalities speed. For goodness sake, slow down in bad conditions. Nobody is impressed by your magical ability to see further than anybody else. Slow down, use hazards, exit the roadway if possible, minimize lane changes, avoid distractions, its common sense.

Driving on any American road nowadays is like rolling the dice with your life. Its Bike Week in Daytona around here, it is crazy town, nobody remembers the common sense rules of driving.

^^^ THIS ^^^

With the adder that slow down doesn't mean stop unless others are stopping ahead of you. If you're the first one to stop in fog/super fog/Tule fog then you're putting yourself and those behind you at risk for a pileup like this.

Unfortunately, there is a bunch of people on the roads when they get confused, miss their exit, drive into weather, etc. they come to a stop in traffic lanes or halfway in traffic lane. They're a really bad combination with the speed demons who don't slow down for anything.

When I tell southerners where I grew up (Upper Midwest); that I've lived in Alaska and Canada; and that I've driven on ice roads in the Arctic Circle like Ice Road truckers I frequently get the comment "I bet you can drive really fast on snow and ice." No, I can gauge how much to slow down to a safe speed based on conditions, recover from a slide/skid, and gauge how much to increase my following distance from the vehicle ahead of me.

quote:

Except now no one can see you.

White out conditions no one can see oncoming headlights 50' away. I90 is a divided hwy, I used hazards. I could see oncoming traffic headlights more then a 1/2 mile out. Continental divide has a gully between the E/w lanes 50' wide in most places.

As to heavy fog you are absolutely right nothing you can do. We burn prairie here smoke is the same way.

I would say at least 158 cars failed to maintain highway speeds.

Really, we have no clue if highway speeds were involved at all. I haven’t read more than the one article, but deaths and injuries could be solely due to the vehicles that burned.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by southernmaninla:
The same thing will happen in white out conditions in the snow. But one thing I learned about snow Is you can see a whole lot further without your headlights on. Drove across the continental divide in a snowstorm couldn't see 20 feet with the headlights on, turn them off and I could see a 1/2 mile or more. Heavy Smoke/fog totally sucks 0 visibility no matter what you do.

Except now no one can see you.

I learned this driving mountain roads in Montana. I would turn my headlights on every 10-15 seconds for a second to alert oncoming traffic. At the speed i was driving, this was reasonable.

I put it on people slowing down too much or even stopping and people driving at normal speeds. I used to have to drive through curving mountain highways early mornings. When fog time came, my wife would ask why I don’t move over to the right lane. I replied I know the left lane, not the right, as that’s where I normally drive so I know the curves. I had to drive slow enough to react to what is in front of me but fast enough for someone not to slam me from behind.

Coming out of Yellowstone, we were caught in the dark through winding mountain roads we’ve never been on before with alternating fog, rain, and snow. My sphincter glued me to my seat. A truck caught up to us and we followed it to a truck stop where we rested until daybreak.

North of Cleveland, TN on I-75, there is a stretch that gets this kind of fog every so often. A 1990 pileup was featured on an episode of Forensic Files. It has lit/flashing warning signs, specially marked pavement, and gates for the interchange on-ramps that block cars from entering the freeway while fog is present.

Central California gets a thick, heavy fog known as "tule fog," which can be near-zero visibility at times.

Maybe I’m reading this wrong but this thread indicates the problem. In reduced vis you can’t drive highway speeds. If you think you can you are a retard. One of the first posters lives there and stated the fog combined with smoke made visibility such that he couldn’t see a car 2 parking spots away yet guys here are confident in their ability to drive at highway speeds “because I know the road”. That’s just stupid.

Unless you have the ability to see through smoke and fog you don’t know dick.

If people stopped on the road that is idiotic. Reality is the most likely answer is someone slowed down and someone didn’t. I’m 56, I have never actually see someone just stop in the middle of a freeway before. Not saying you haven’t but Occam's Razor says the front cars slowed and then somebody didn’t, crash, then everybody hit stopped cars. As for what killed them, high speed and sudden deceleration is what killed them. The fire was just a bonus. Cars that hit at 35 usually don’t catch fire.

Bad conditions you need to slow down and make yourself visible. Lights and hazards. Slow down. It works.

This is why modern cars have OEM fog lights...Low mounted front position lights and rear facing fogs lights, so OTHERS can see you! Turning them on in ANY low visibility conditions (i.e. heavy rain, wet road/rain misted conditions, snow or fog), is prudent, AND immediate if I'm driving! In conditions bordering on ZERO visibility it is MANDATORY and should be combined with your Hazards! Like 'pedropcola' indicates, stopping on the road (including the shoulder!) in such conditions is idiotic...It's also dangerous, and will get people killed.

Local noon news showing roadway still blocked due to wrecked cars and still waiting for some hazardous materials to be unloaded so that total cleanup can resume.... Then the state DOT must survey damage to bridge/roadway to determine if safe to reopen roadway as this section of roadway is elevated over water. ....I-55 is a major north/south roadway into and out of New Orleans, La..................... drill sgt.

It's all the weather's fault!
I was just minding my own business,
And the weather crashed my car,
For no reason at all.

Stupid weather, crashing all those cars.

I think weather kills almost as many people as guns.

So drugs , guns and weather are the # 1 killers.

I have been in one of these. They even had highway signs up to attempt to warn us. But dang, when the fog layer roles in it goes fast. I have been driving and had one up on I-81 just literally form around me. we all got slowed down and off to one side, but there was still a pretty big pile up and we were up there for hours.

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
This is why modern cars have OEM fog lights...Low mounted front position lights and rear facing fogs lights, so OTHERS can see you! Turning them on in ANY low visibility conditions (i.e. heavy rain, wet road/rain misted conditions, snow or fog), is prudent, AND immediate if I'm driving! In conditions bordering on ZERO visibility it is MANDATORY and should be combined with your Hazards! Like 'pedropcola' indicates, stopping on the road (including the shoulder!) in such conditions is idiotic...It's also dangerous, and will get people killed.

They dumbass drivers here in Louisiana use the fog lights all the time even with it being illegal to do so. Lots change them out to put super bright lights and blind you.

I've driven on that I-55 where that crash was many times and been in boats crossing under it.