The pictures look bad ! Lots of really badly smashed cars. Thanks for letting me know, @Faye Fox ! I messaged my family near there right away to make sure that they were all safe. Mostly, I can see where they are with my iPad Find Friends app, but it was good to be reassured, just in case. I have traveled that road many times, and it is a pretty steep hill, and they might not have gotten the sanding trucks out there soon enough. Here is a link with more pictures and information. https://www.kxly.com/news/multiple-...es-of-i-90-near-geiger-interchange/1145815205
@Yvonne Smith I think it was a white out. I have lots of memories traveling I-90 Missoula to Ritzville. with ice and snow all the way. White outs and waiting due to accidents. Truckers trying to make it without chains. I was always prepared, but it was still scary. 60 cars is a lot. What a mess
Always hate seeing these pileups, amazing there weren't more injuries. There's a highway, 401, outside of Toronto, Ontario, which is known well for these multiple pileups. Lower speed just doesn't seem to be an option till it's too late.
From my previous EMS experience, and I'm sure Ken will vouch for this, speed and following to close seems to be the main reasons for these accidents. Not only do these multi-vehicle accidents happen in snow/ice, they also happen on rain-slicked highways and freeways. The rain-slicked ones are what I encountered in So. California while working in EMS.
According to the news story, it was heavy snowfall and slick roads that caused the pileup near Spokane. As @Faye Fox said, there was probably very little visibility and whiteout conditions, which is about the same as driving in really heavy fog, except that in addition, the roads are extremely slick. That is a pretty steep hill coming out of Spokane , and it happened right around the time that people would have been on the road going home from work. Most people in eastern Washington are used to driving in heavy traffic and snowy conditions, and there are always a lot of semi trucks going slow up that hill, so most of the people on the road would have known to drive slowly. It is just as likely that no one person caused the whole accident from poor driving, speeding or following too close.
In any type of weather but especially when the roads are slick and the visibility is almost nil, all it takes is some road critter or deer someone is trying to avoid hitting to cause some major grief.
Poor people. It takes quite awhile to get all the insurance claims settled and they have to figure out a way to get to work & around. Makes it even worse right at the holidays.
Latest is there were 127 cars involved. There were 35 separate crashes along this 10 mile stretch of I-90. First series was across from Shriner Event Center and involved 30 cars in a domino effect. Man inside Shriner's Center said he could hear each crash like a semi auto weapon. One series involved 38 cars. Slick conditions and heavy traffic were cited as main reason. All it took was for the first car to lose control. Unofficially it was reported that a lane change caused the first crashes. Each series of crashes was caused because of the crashes ahead. Many times in these conditions, windshields are fogging up and drivers are adjusting fan speed and one second with eyes off the road is all it takes. Seven were taken to the hospital and no life threatening injuries. It may be days before all the police reports are released. Insurance settlements will no doubt be a mess also.