Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Video: Massive crash near my house

We live on the western slope of South Mountain near Hagerstown, Maryland, and this news report describes a chain-reaction accident on I-70 about 2 miles from our house:

The Hagerstown Herald-Mail:
Two people were killed Monday in a 50-vehicle accident on westbound Interstate 70 in Washington County, near the Frederick County, Md., border, authorities said.
Thirteen others went to the hospital, said Kevin Lewis, Washington County’s director of fire and emergency services. A small number had serious injuries. . . .
Sandy Trumpower, a lieutenant with the Mount Aetna Volunteer Fire Department, said Washington County got several 911 calls at around 12:20 p.m., the time of the accident.
The Washington Post:
The chain of crashes began about 12:30 p.m. on South Mountain, about 10 miles west of Frederick, and involved 35 passenger vehicles and seven commercial vehicles, including tractor-trailer rigs and box trucks, said state police spokeswoman Elena Russo. Snowfall of 1 1/2 inches might have contributed to the crash, she said.
In the few minutes that passed as the crash unfolded, drivers screamed and people leapt from their cars, said Julie Barr-Strasburg, executive director of the Washington County Red Cross chapter. One man jumped out before his car was struck from behind; a woman worried about a fire or explosion and fled into the woods lining the highway; and another man was hit by a car as he tried to escape the wreckage, she said.

More video from Associated Press:

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