A brutal blast of frigid air sweeping the United States created icy roads that caused multiple-car pileups and left at least six people dead...
A brutal blast of frigid air sweeping the United States created icy roads that caused multiple-car pileups and left at least six people dead in Virginia, Maryland and Oklahoma, authorities said.
A 55-vehicle crash on a icy stretch of I-95 in Baltimore left at least two people dead and motorists stranded for hours about 5 a.m. Saturday, according to Chief Roman Clark, a Baltimore Fire Department spokesman. Fifteen people were taken to hospitals.
Mayor Catherine Pugh said good Samaritans helped pull people out of cars.
"This is the worst accident that we've seen," she said.
Emergency vehicles descended on the scene, stalling traffic for miles and leading authorities to urge stranded motorists on both sides of the interstate to "remain warm and calm and shelter in place" in their cars, Clark said.
The cause was under investigation, but Clark described road conditions as "very slippery."
Also on Saturday, a 40-vehicle wreck shut down westbound lines of Interstate 40 east of Albuquerque, New Mexico State Police spokesman Sgt. Chad Pierce said.
Although it's not yet clear what led to the accident, the highway is covered in snow and ice, Pierce said.
In northern Virginia, authorities responded to more than 40 traffic accidents, some involving multiple vehicles, according to the state police.
One person was killed after a multi-vehicle crash at 5:12 a.m., Saturday, on Interstate 495 in Fairfax County, police said.
Source: cnn.com
