Multiple people dead after dust storm causes pileup on Illinois highway

Dust storm in Central Illinois on I-55 South of Springfield.

Major vehicle pile up !!

High wind and low visibility.

At least 60 vehicles !!

At least 6 killed !!

WoW

Multiple people dead after dust storm causes pileup on Illinois highway

A dust storm in central Illinois Monday morning triggered a fiery 60-vehicle pileup on Interstate 55, killing at least six people and injuring dozens.

Illinois State Police said the crash was reported at 10:55 a.m. local time near Milepost 76 in Montgomery County, just south of Springfield. State police later confirmed at least six fatalities from the pileup, KMOV News reported, which also injured more than 30 people who were transported to area hospitals.

Montgomery County emergency management officials said that 10 helicopters were requested to the scene, and that several buses from a local school were called to the scene to pick up stranded motorists, WAND-TV reported.

a reply to: xuenchen

That’s crazy.
I wonder if most of them were driving 85mph and texting on their phones?
That’s how they drive around here, I don’t get on the freeway unless I absolutely have to.

Well it's all pretty said many times within the last 2 years about food shortages and it for real is going to happen and those of us that are being prepared for it for the ones who's going to be able to live by one wits and hopefully we don't see a crash of society worldwide.
Being American and realizing that there are many major cities across America that would collapse and it's been said within 1 hour and that I truly believe in.



I know many on ATS some hurt me saying that those with money and has a business mind or some kind of talent they are actually really trying to get into Japan because now they've allowed things to happen.

originally posted by: RazorV66
a reply to: xuenchen

That’s crazy.
I wonder if most of them were driving 85mph and texting on their phones?
That’s how they drive around here, I don’t get on the freeway unless I absolutely have to.

Exactly. This !

I think my mind is going with all this absurdity in this clown world. Dust storm in Illinois, how and why? How and why was the interstate not closed down in advance?

I think we are seeing a pattern here.

I remember seeing signs on the road when I first moved to Arizona stating it's the law to pull over immediately if a dust storm hits. Apparently they can overwhelm an area in a matter of seconds, with no forewarning.
I never experienced one, nor the flash floods that also hit the highways and take lives each year.

I wonder what the make of the cars that caught fire were? Tesla has gained quite the reputation for bursting into flames, even in low-speed fender -bender type crashes.

a reply to: nugget1

It's interesting to me, not that one person was stupid enough to attempt driving through a sand storm, but 60 people in quick succession.

a reply to: TzarChasm

Sometimes you don't have a choice. I remember back in 2019 I was driving south 41 to Illinois just over the border of Wisconsin, it was snowing but it was just turning to slush, I was in the left most lane and the semi's from the opposite direction where splashing slush over onto the other side of the highway. All of the right lanes in my direction were jam packed even tho this was a 4 lane highway on my side. Trying to move over while also trying to navigate getting constantly bombarded by slush from the other direction was a difficult task.

I had no other option, go slow and keep my eyes peeled. If there was a 70 car pile up in front of me at the right time, it would have been a 71 car pile up.

I'll never forget that day.

originally posted by: TzarChasm
a reply to: nugget1

It's interesting to me, not that one person was stupid enough to attempt driving through a sand storm, but 60 people in quick succession.

Well there's not really enough sand in that part of Illinois to blow up a storm 😁

originally posted by: xuenchen

originally posted by: TzarChasm
a reply to: nugget1

It's interesting to me, not that one person was stupid enough to attempt driving through a sand storm, but 60 people in quick succession.

Well there's not really enough sand in that part of Illinois to blow up a storm 😁

🤨 Sand, dust, particulates, plenty of that in Illinois.

Sad. Tragic even.
I would venture a guess the vast majority though had zero driving experience from west Texas out to southern Arizona. I wouldn't think dust storms are common in this area, but fog probably is, same circumstance basically

There is farmland along this interstate in Illinois. Farmers are in the fields planting their crops. We had sustained 35 to 40 mph winds in Illinois today and the ground is a little dry. Voila, dust storm. I've been through this a couple times and it's scary.

originally posted by: fltcui
There is farmland along this interstate in Illinois. Farmers are in the fields planting their crops. We had sustained 35 to 40 mph winds in Illinois today and the ground is a little dry. Voila, dust storm. I've been through this a couple times and it's scary.

I guess when you put it that way, but one would think there was plans in place for such of an occurrence?

originally posted by: texas thinker
Sad. Tragic even.
I would venture a guess the vast majority though had zero driving experience from west Texas out to southern Arizona. I wouldn't think dust storms are common in this area, but fog probably is, same circumstance basically

Maybe they're making a comeback? From Google search:

Illinois did not directly get affected by the Dust Bowl during the Great Plains Droughts of the Great Plains.1 However, it was periodically adversely affected by dust storms wielding from the Great Plains which served as a political motivator for national conservation and agricultural policies.

a reply to: litterbaux

I've driven in snow so heavy, you have to drive with your parking lights illuminated the way forward, because your headlights actually reduce your forward view.

a reply to: xuenchen

Even though it's been raining frequently 50 miles north of that location over recent days, there has been very little rain or snow in that particular section/corridor of Southern Illinois over the past 3 months.

The humidity was low, the winds were 45mph steady, and farmers had recently plowed their fields. Meteorologist Tom Skilling (WGN-TV Chicago) just said the conditions all aligned perfectly for the massive, prolonged dust storm in that part of Illinois today.

Why didn’t you have a choice? Who are you Gunner Kassen?

a reply to: litterbaux

originally posted by: xuenchen

originally posted by: TzarChasm
a reply to: nugget1

It's interesting to me, not that one person was stupid enough to attempt driving through a sand storm, but 60 people in quick succession.

Well there's not really enough sand in that part of Illinois to blow up a storm 😁

have the corn been planted yet?

those fields can get really dusty and get blown around.

well i guess that's what i get for not reading the whole thread