By Matthew Cappucci
At least six people are dead and three dozen injured, (click here) some critically, following a devastating 130-plus car pileup on Interstate 35 West in Fort Worth on Thursday morning. Freezing rain and drizzle are probably to blame, with slick roadways posing a serious danger to travel.
The Fort Worth Fire Department described the accident as a mass casualty incident, meaning local first responders were overwhelmed by the response needed to treat the number of those injured.
All northbound lanes of the highway were closed to traffic as crews responded to the accident, with reports of multiple people trapped and concerns of hypothermia if victims were not removed from the vehicles quickly. The accident occurred around 6 a.m.
Police expressed concern that a number of passengers still trapped in their cars shortly before 11 a.m. were at risk for hypothermia. Authorities were beginning the lengthy process of “entangling” the heap of vehicles and locating additional victims.
