HORRIBLE Crashes in Ft. Worth, Texas...

a reply to: NightVision

a reply to: KansasGirl
I used to go out (usually with a friend) and hang around intersections around a hill and help push people that got stuck, or slid off the roadway. I loved doing that, it was a good feeling to help people that were thinking that their day was ruined.
One day I bet that we helped 20 people and they just went on their way.

I am like you though, people will still get out and drive and when they should stay inside.
I used to call in to work because there was no way in hell that I was going to chance getting into a wreck and then having to pay my deductible, that means that I would be in the hole that week. If my deductible was $250 (or whatever it was at that time) and I made less than that at my job, well, I just ain't that stupid. If they offered to pay my deductible I would have gone. Maybe.

a reply to: recrisp

Oh my gosh- that video is horrendous. That was absolute horror. Prayers are needed for those people.

a reply to: KansasGirl
Yeah, it ain't good. I really don't even want to go online and see if there were any casualties, I believe that I witnessed a couple of deaths, at least.

I just saw a story that in the title it said that that 5 dead in Texas crash. (I didn't open it though) So, it was worse than I thought.

3 died.

I used to live right off that exit (35 and Yucca). I've got to say I was lucky to learn to drive on ice when I was young, buy a lot of my fellow Texans weren't so fortunate, and don't know just what the frak to do when it ices over.

a reply to: recrisp

No. Son was not in the vehicle. One of the good side effects of COVID - husband is mainly work from home. His job was already about 80 to 90% long range email and e-meeting anyhow, but COVID just formalized that. So kiddo was home with my husband. I was the only sucker who had to go out and about.

As I’ve said before, I’m a fireman in a “large” Texas city. I was there this morning in the middle of it working.

In my 20+ years on the job that was the craziest, most apocalyptic, war zone I have ever been in. It was on the new “toll” way part of I 35 southbound. I knew that was a death trap they created when it opened. It’s in the middle of N and S bound lanes of 35, with about a 4’ concrete wall flanking both sides with no real shoulder to pull over or get around. So when the first wreck happened it was just over a small hill and the vehicles cresting that hill were on freshly formed ice from it drizzling. Those semi’s and other cars had no where to go and no way to stop.
It was awful.

Hopefully tonight is quite. I’ve got 10 hours to go this shift, and next shift (Sunday) is supposed to be worse.

a reply to: ketsuko
That's good, kids don't need to be out in that stuff, I just remembered that you had taken your son to the doctor recently and I 'assumed', but I'm glad that he got to stay home with Daddy.

a reply to: olaru12

That would be, pretty much every state in the union, especially New Mexico. I have driven across Texas to NM from the North, 287 to I-40. I have taken the trip through I-10 (longest route IMO) and also through the center of the state on a state road that guided me to Roswell New Mexico. I honestly have never had a bad experience driving in Texas except for one time I was doing 90 in an 85 near fort Stockton I think it was called down there by the border. Got me a speeding ticket for that one.

The single worst highway to drive on is the loop around the city of Atlanta. #ing insanity. That is a route I have never had a good experience on and I have gone through it at least six times. I do my best to avoid Atlanta at all costs when traveling now.

However, I have never hit a patch of ice. When I drive across the country it is usually somewhere between March and September. I hope people don't get screwed by their insurance over this accident, but then again that is why they are in the business to begin with.

a reply to: TexasTruth
I read where there were 5 deaths, that is quite a bit for something like that in Texas.
Since I moved away from that area 5 years ago I am no longer familiar with that area, but I don't doubt what you say. I mean, the "High Five" is a crazy piece of work, so why should they stop there.

I told my wife that more than likely the freeway was fine, then possibly over a hill there was ice, probably on a bridge, then this resulted. I am probably not too far off on that guess.

What I want to know is, how come they didn't sand, do you know? I remember I think it was last year I saw on the news that they didn't sand the bridges and the ice or snow made it a giant mess, there weren't a lot of deaths, but still.

You are right, is a really awful thing to have seen, and I feel for the families, and, I'm glad that you were there to help.
With the weather in the next week being where it will get down as low as a possible 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and snow in the forecast on top of that, you may be back out in that again.
Be careful, I saw that ambulance in the video and that means that y'all just have to go to the danger, there's reason to believe that one of those that were hit could have been that ambulance, probably not, but it sure could happen.

Thanks for the update on that.

originally posted by: worldstarcountry
a reply to: olaru12

That would be, pretty much every state in the union, especially New Mexico. I have driven across Texas to NM from the North, 287 to I-40. I have taken the trip through I-10 (longest route IMO) and also through the center of the state on a state road that guided me to Roswell New Mexico. I honestly have never had a bad experience driving in Texas except for one time I was doing 90 in an 85 near fort Stockton I think it was called down there by the border. Got me a speeding ticket for that one.

I got a ticket going to Stockton too! I was doing 90mph in a 55mph zone though, back in the early 80's!
There was this LONE tree there on the highway and that cop sat beside it (like in the movies) and he got me. The ONLY tree for miles and miles too. It was my fault, but man, I never expected for a cop to be way out in the middle of nowhere.
Highway Patrol, if I remember right.

a reply to: recrisp
Yes it was Highway patrol. However, I thought he had pulled over somebody in front of him because his lights went on before I had even gotten to him. I assumed he had just pulled someone else over, then I see him make his way behind me. This was right before I made it into town. A strange little town it is too. This was mere hours after leaving Dallas when that gentleman went crazy and attacked and murdered that police officer.

I was last there in 2014 I believe.

originally posted by: recrisp
a reply to: ketsuko
That's good, kids don't need to be out in that stuff, I just remembered that you had taken your son to the doctor recently and I 'assumed', but I'm glad that he got to stay home with Daddy.

Nope. Although tomorrow, he will be going in to school and he's got a parents' night out at his martial arts school, and we aren't going to let him miss that. They get 3 solid hours of pizza and laser tag. So, cold or not, he'll be out in it.

a reply to: recrisp

Without salt and sand, an icy road will do it deeds and shake off anybody, no matter where. Texas, Florida, Canada, Russia. All you can do is slow down slowly, no quick moves, no breaking. And retreat to a safe location - and wait until that road is fixed driveable again. Until then, there is no reason in taking that road.

I live in the Upper Peninsula, we usually don't have too many big pileups up here, but then again people here are used to going thirty miles per hour down the highway when it is bad out. I have witnessed many times a big four wheel drive passing and winding up in the ditch, on black ice a four wheel drive is no better than a car for stopping.

In the fall the college students come here, and we have lots more accidents. after about four months after college starts the accidents go down....they wrecked their cars and if their parents got them new ones, they were warned that if they wreck them again they walk.

Currently, they're saying 6 have died now.

At least six people are dead from a massive freeway pileup in Fort Worth, Texas, according to Fort Worth police.

Over 100 vehicles were involved in the crash on I-35, and multiple people were trapped in their cars, the fire department said.

Sixty-five people were hurt in the accident, which was reported shortly after 6 a.m., authorities said.

Thirty-six people were transported from the scene, including three who were in critical condition, police said. Numerous patients were treated and released on scene, police said, while others left the crash site on their own but later went to hospitals.

All victims assessed on-scene were adults, officials said.

abcnews.go.com...

a reply to: recrisp

Yeah, that's nuts. I drive a wrecker truck a few counties south of there. We're expecting tons of wrecks this upcoming week. It rains quite often around here, and people seem to drive extra crazy in it. The rare occasion when the roads ice over it's like all hell breaks loose.

When it snowed so heavy earlier this winter we were fortunate not to have any fatality scenes especially considering our fatality rate is much higher per capita than most other Texas counties.

With an expected 10°F coming up soon I can only imagine. I guarantee we'll have 100 wrecks. Probably not in one single pile-up. It's sad, but I bet the next ice over will produce fatalities. We only got lucky last time.

The first fatality wreck I ever worked was the day after an ice storm on an icy overpass.

Ketsuko said it best.

The best way to drive on ice is not to if you can avoid it

a reply to: Nivhk

Additional, if the rear begins to break out in a FWD, rematch downshift into lower gear to get traction on the front wheels and realign the car with the street again.