36 car pile up today

[Knottscott]

I spotted this surreal scene on a return trip today near the Rochester Airport. I found out later that I was anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or two ahead of this 36 car pile up today on 390S in Rochester...it's hard to say how long it lasted from the time the first car hit until the last car collided...it's very possible that some cars were already involved when I got off...you couldn't really see. Conditions were mainly clear and sunny, but windy conditions caused a couple of isolated whiteout spots. The whiteout started right at the exit I got off. I could barely see the turn of the exit ramp roughly 200 feet ahead of me. Because conditions were clear, traffic was moving along pretty fast and headed into the whiteout going at normal expressway speeds. I had no idea there had been an accident until I came back through about 30 minutes later but it's not surprising considering. There were so many rescue vehicles that I thought a plane had crashed at first, until I saw all the cars. It was pretty cold and very windy...it had to have been bitter for the rescue workers and people involved waiting to be taken from the scene. Many injured, and unfortunately a 17 year old girl died...prayers for her and her family are in order.

The pics were taken by a citizen at the scene.

[cwithboat]

Oh my Gosh! Glad to hear you are safe. The picture looks like a junkyard.

[Uncle Cracker]

Weird flashback... The kind I can do without. I was 30 minutes ahead of the 70-car pileup a month ago here in central FL. Also a momentary blind patch (smoke and fog). People gotta learn how to drive (or not) when conditions go inclement.

[chopnhack]

If we keep having incidents like these it might prompt auto makers to consider forward looking sonar/radar or something similar. Glad to hear your ok.
Off topic, I had always wondered with the technology we have, on highways if cars could have communications with each other, to synchronize and maintain safe distance while operating at max. speed wouldn't there be some type of economy achieved? end of mental bubble.

[Knottscott]

A person involved with the first impact was interviewed and said that a "white" car had stopped in the middle of the traffic lane.....the worst possible choice to make in a blind situation.

[Ed62]

Wow! You're lucky you weren't involved. Hopefully there weren't any very serious injuries.

Ed

[cabinetman]

Weird flashback... The kind I can do without. I was 30 minutes ahead of the 70-car pileup a month ago here in central FL. Also a momentary blind patch (smoke and fog). People gotta learn how to drive (or not) when conditions go inclement.

I remember that one on the news. Was that you that slammed on the brakes? I heard the backlash that they were trying to put fault on the FHP for not securing the highway and warning drivers...crazy world.
.

[Uncle Cracker]

I remember that one on the news. Was that you that slammed on the brakes? I heard the backlash that they were trying to put fault on the FHP for not securing the highway and warning drivers...crazy world.

Nope. I was a little farther ahead than that. Actually, FHP is responsible for continuous monitoring of visibility throughout the interstate system, and closing roads accordingly. It's an annoying thing for drivers, but necessary, as evidenced by this pileup. But troopers are supposed to be cruising the highway, not sitting beside it, or in some 7-11 someplace. Cars were banging into one another out there for nearly half an hour before FHP put up roadblocks. They had a spokesman set up in front of a microphone spewing spin to reporters before they even got all the injured out. The PR machine was apparently in better position to react than were the troops. World not crazy... world stupid.

[kathyp]

my daughter was in that accident and I am grateful that she was in the jetta, pictured with a shiny, red truck attached to her front. She said that she was hit at least 10 times and just recalls being in the car, screaming as to when it would end. She had no idea what was going on outside of her vehicle. The emergency crew had to smash her passenger windows to get to the car next to her with critical injuries involved. They had to pry open the car next to her and used daughter's for leverage. She is thankfully, just sore, bruised and has an injured knee from impact. Car is totalled. She was on the national news, being carried out of the wreck by a fireman. Her school books all over the highway, I'm sure. Hopefully, no one has ransacked her vehicle because the windows are now gone. Now, we are going to have to find where the car is towed and take it from there. Glad that it was a jetta. Gas mileage wasn't the best but it sure took a beating and protected its occupant. My son's car probably wouldn't have fared as well and that scares me as a mom with four kids who go to college and drive back and forth. The girl next to her car had a passenger who is critical as of last night. My daughter knew her from school and we saw the parents at the hospital.

[Knottscott]

That's incredible...I saw the news clip of your daughter being carried. Glad she's going to be ok.

[kathyp]

I was trying to find this clip, everyone has seen it but me! I'm thankful to God because he must have had angels around those cars because this could have ended so much worse. Her car is toast and I'm hoping that she can get a vehicle to go to work to pay for a new one! Thanks for the good wishes!

[Mrs. Wallnut]

Kathy,
Glad to hear that your daughter wasn't seriously injured. I work at night and when I got home Mark had the news on and I just caught the tail end of the story, and didn't see any pictures.

[kathyp]

thanks for the well wishes. Now we are wishing about the insurance coverage and such for a poor college student! Glad that she had collision on the vehicle. The jetta just took a beating and she just has cuts and bruising. I am so grateful. It is like angels were just surrounding the car. Thank God.

[footprintsinconc]

dusmight, i am glad to hear that you were able to avoid the accident. kathy, glad to hear that you daughter made it out with as few injuries as possible. these type of accidents just scare me. it terrible to hear that a life is lost in accidents like this. just because of one or two cars (whether its their fault or not), many other cars/people get just get pulled into it.

a while back we had a huge pile up in pheonix, that shut down the free way (I-10) in both directions because of a dust storm. after the first hit, it was like dominos.

[Wood_workur]

glad to hear you missed it, just be glad that you don't work in an insurance place now....

worst I've ever seen was some guy hit the guard rail and sun out across 4 lanes of traffic. He managed to miss everyone though. then there was a bad on on I-90 that took out like 5 cars, and we were like 2 seconds behind it.