2023 — Oct 24, Pileup of 168 vehicles in fog/smoke, I-55 outside New Orleans, LA — 8

–8  AP. “Toll rises to 8 dead, 63 hurt from Louisiana interstate pileup…fire smoke.” 10-25-2023.

–8  CBS News. “At least 8 killed, 63 injured in 168-vehicle pileup on Louisiana highway.” 10-24-2023.

Narrative Information Oct 24, CBS News: “The death toll rose to eight in a Louisiana highway pileup Monday morning that involved at least 168 vehicles, state police said on Tuesday. The crash occurred on I-55 in St. John the Baptist Parish, just outside of New Orleans. Police said 63 people were injured in the crash. More than 25 people were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from critical to minor, while an unspecified number of people also went to medical facilities on their own, police said on Monday. One vehicle went off the interstate and into the water, but the driver was safely rescued, police said.

“”A portion of the crash scene caught on fire shortly after the initial incident. One tanker truck carrying a hazardous liquid is being off-loaded due to a compromised tank/trailer,” Lt. Melissa Matey of the Louisiana State Police said in a statement. Matey said search crews may find more fatalities once the tanker is removed and they are able to access the vehicles near it.

“Video from the scene posted on social media showed dense fog and dozens of damaged vehicles. The low visibility was attributed to a so-called “super fog,” a mixture of wildfire smoke and fog with visibility only as high as 10 feet, CBS affiliate WWL-TV reported….” (CBS News. “At least 8 killed, 63 injured in 168-vehicle pileup on Louisiana highway.” 10-24-2023.)

Oct 25: Associated Press: “New Orleans (AP) – The toll from a series of crashes on a Louisiana interstate rose to eight dead and 63 injured Tuesday evening, a day after a “super fog” of marsh fire smoke and dense fog snared more than 160 vehicles in the fiery pileup, authorities said….

“An estimated 168 vehicles were involved in the crashes, Louisiana State Police said. By Tuesday evening the number of fatalities had increased from seven to eight and the number of reported injured more than doubled, Louisiana State Police said in a news release. At least 63 people were injured, with injuries ranging from minor to critical, others sought medical aid on their own, authorities said in the update.” (Associated Press. “Toll rises to 8 dead, 63 hurt from Louisiana interstate pileup blamed on dense fog, marsh fire smoke.” 10-25-2023.)

Sources

CBS News. “At least 8 killed, 63 injured in 168-vehicle pileup on Louisiana highway.” 10-24-2023. Accessed 10-26-2023 at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisiana-i55-pileup-deaths-superfog/

Associated Press (Kevin McGill and Sara Cline). “Toll rises to 8 dead, 63 hurt from Louisiana interstate pileup blamed on dense fog, marsh fire smoke.” 10-25-2023. Accessed 10-26-2023 at: https://apnews.com/article/superfog-louisiana-highway-crashes-marsh-304195491d1bfbc5ac929b1c6acd1d7f