He was zooming down the highway blind. Between October and March, the system is activated about once per week. Cruz's father, Staff Sgt. In the years since the crash, Gallo has remarried and had more kids. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For months DeVane, now an emergency room physician at SkyRidge Medical Center in Cleveland, Tenn., fought a sense of dread whenever he drove the fog zone. More Notable Events on December 11: 1997 Federal judge orders Microsoft not to The Army had chartered three flights to bring the soldiers home, and because it was so close to Christmas, he and other single soldiers had decided to let the married soldiers go home first. That wasn't the first time I'd seen that," he recalled recently. Multiple-vehicle collisions are particularly deadly as the mass of crumpled vehicles makes escape for survivors difficult. 1990 multi-vehicle traffic collision in Tennessee, United States. "She was the first person I was able to look at and say, 'oh, my, someone who could understand me.'". Richardson, who stayed in the Army until 1999 and retired as a major, said the battalion didn't lose any soldiers during the deployment. Listening to the tape still gives him chills, he said. Tennessee Safety Commissioner Robert Lawson said drivers may have been traveling too fast for the weather conditions. Jason Recinos-Funes, a 25-year-old man from Sterling, died of injuries suffered in the crash. Reporters and fans apply subjective guidelines as to what threshold needs to be crossed before a simple on-track incident can be described as such. "You can ask any of these members of the community here, and they can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news about this crash. Even for seasoned veterans, the scope of the accident was shocking, he said. Many of the survivors and other victim families sued Bowater Inc., claiming that steam from the huge newsprint facility located near the interstate exacerbated the fog problem and contributed to the accident. Wilkerson of Hamilton County EMS said the thickness of the fog wasn't notable, but its concentration was. An early investigation showed the accident may have begun when a southbound truck slowed down in heavy fog near the exit and was rear-ended by another truck. According to the Racine County Sheriffs Office, a Ford Focus was traveling east on Highway 11 following a concrete truck. In the days after her husband's death, Gallo said "an older lady" came to her house. "It was unbelievable. The pileup also brought about long-called-for updates to the fog zone's minimal alert system, ushering in a state-of-the-art surveillance and warning system. In 2009 Megrahi, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, was released from prison in Scotland on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to Libya; the United States strongly disagreed with the Scottish governments decision. In a worst-case scenario, the Tennessee Highway Patrol can shut down the highway, remotely closing entrances to the fog zone by deploying swing gates at six on-ramps. Do not pass lines of traffic. People tend to follow taillights when driving in fog. / 35.324639N 84.782444W / 35.324639; -84.782444 / 35.324639N 84.782444W / 35.324639; -84.782444 The 1990 Interstate 75 fog disaster was a transportation accident that occurred on the morning of December 11, 1990, on a section of Interstate 75 (I-75) near Calhoun, Tennessee, during dense fog which obscured the visibility of motorists. He was terrified to talk to me. 11 people injured, including some in serious condition, when bus overturns and ejects some passengers on I-85 near McKenney, Virginia. The crash occurred about 8:15 a.m., approximately 30 minutes after the flight began. Their ages and hometowns were not immediately available. A leading rights group has urged the U.S. and Libya to clarify the legality of a surprise extradition of a suspect in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Pan-Am-flight-103, Rights group questions Lockerbie suspects extradition. Richard Nichols and 247 other soldiers, most of them from the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, crashed shortly after taking off from a refueling stop in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. When Ray Rucker, then maintenance officer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, arrived later, the fog had dissipated and the scene lay under blue skies. Investigators believed that two Libyan intelligence agents were responsible for the bombing; many speculated that the attack had been retaliation for a 1986 U.S. bombing campaign against Libyas capital city, Tripoli. 401 reopens after 80-vehicle pileup", "Cell phone video shows moments after deadly I-75 pileup", "UPDATED: 95 cars involved in I-77 crash in Carroll County", "Sheppey crossing crash: Dozens hurt as 130 vehicles crash", "Drievoudige kettingbotsing op A19 bij Zonnebeke", "Kettingbotsing A19 eist tweede mensenleven", "Westbound I-94 Reopens after Fatal Michigan City Pileup", "UPDATE: Pa. 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John Remmy, a reporter for WTVN radio, was driving to work when he saw the balloon go down. On Friday, Ms. Sheil said Bowater couldnt comment because of the pending lawsuits. And from what I understand, it was his last call. "There are probably going to be people in that room who were either not born or under 5 years old in 1985, and they never knew their father, uncle or brother," said Richardson, who was a staff officer in 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry at the time of the crash. All 248 soldiers and the plane's eight crew members were killed. That happy phone call would be the last time Gallo would speak to her husband. In 2006 the state spent $6.8 million to upgrade the system and add a video feed so highway patrol officers could see fog and traffic patterns. His truck ended up pushed into the median, and he and his friend rushed to the relative safety of the grassy strip. As one of the first on the scene, the worst part was feeling helpless, Dyer said. Can you list the top facts and stats about Interstate 75 fog disaster? White-out conditions and winds in excess of 50mph contributed to a 131 vehicle pileup on. The 99-vehicle pileup caused 12 deaths and 42 injuries, according to The fires from ignited vehicles burned long and hot enough to melt the asphalt of the highway, which eventually had to be repaved, Dyer said. March 1 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers said a young seal was returned to the wild one day after it exited the water and walked across a busy New Jersey road. In Great Britain, statistics are available on the number of vehicles involved in crashes. The I-75 fog zone near Calhoun had been the site of six multiple-vehicle accidents between March 1974 and April 1979, resulting in six deaths and 86 injuries. Message in a bottle travels more than 185 miles in Australia. "I'll never forget the faces. "Stumbling Out Of The Fog:" Memories Of The Worst Traffic The fog and speed sensor readings can trigger warnings to a dispatcher assigned to monitor fog in the area. As the uninjured truckers inspected their vehicles for damage, a four-door sedan hit the second tractor-trailer. Even when he saw the injured man, he assumed that a one- or two-car fender-bender was ahead. The state-of-the-art system represented a major leap forward in fog detection and driver notification and set a new standard for transportation departments worldwide, transportation officials said. Considering that these roads often have high traffic volumes, more cars are forced into braking and skidding, darting into other lanes and in front of oncoming traffic and so more vehicles become involved, creating a chain reaction effect. I want them to know we don't blame them. Again, questions were raised about the role of water vapor and other emissions from the nearby Bowater paper mill and its wastewater cooling ponds along the Hiwassee River, about a mile south of the accident site. Sylvia said he hopes the surviving family members and veterans know that the soldiers of today value them and their sacrifice. What had been a semi truck was reduced to just burnt-up ashes," he said. The bomb, constructed with the odourless plastic explosive Semtex, was hidden in a cassette player that was stored in a suitcase. Surveying the bodies in the makeshift morgue, DeVane wondered if he could have done more. The construction worker, identified as Dharmista Chauhan, 39, of Menomonee Falls was working on Durand Avenue and was killed Thursday morning after a cement truck backed over her, according to a release from the State Patrol. Rucker, of TDOT, disagreed. The crash occurred around 2:40 a.m. on Monday in the 500 block of E. Staunton Avenue in Sterling. 13 die in 83 vehicle accident in Chattanooga Tennessee I-75, due to fog. The interstate is very busy in this area, carrying over 30,000 vehicles per day on average. 581 reopens after more than 70 cars involved in crash, state police say", "6 dead in Missouri interstate pileup involving 47 vehicles, official says", "Police: 6 killed in Pennsylvania pileup of 80 vehicles", "Six people killed in massive crash on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania State Police say", "100-vehicle crash closes parts of Denver highway following overnight snow", "80-vehicle pileup in Colorado blamed on wintry weather and fast drivers", "OSHP: Four killed in 50-vehicle pileup crash on Ohio Turnpike", "BODYCAM: 73 injuries, 4 deaths in Ohio Turnpike 50-vehicle pileup crash, OSHP says", List of people who died in traffic collisions, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Multiple-vehicle_collision&oldid=1140949255, Articles with dead external links from October 2016, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from May 2016, Articles with dead external links from February 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Due to fog, there was a pileup on the M1 just north of the A505 junction near, The heavy fog created a rapid reduction in visibility along the toll plaza stretch of the, Heavy fog led to a fiery crash involving 52 vehicles led to three deaths and more than 30 injuries on the, Heavy fog caused by the neighboring Bowater paper mill led to a fiery crash involving 99 vehicles, leaving 12 dead and 42 injured on, Blinding glare and rain-slicked roads caused a 127-vehicle pileup on, On a snow-slicked section of N/B Interstate-75 in central, One-time sudden fog caused a pileup on Interstate 75 in, Due to poor visibility during a white out snow squall, on, Four people were killed and as many as 38 were injured in a major pileup on, More than 100 vehicles crashed into each other on, A near 60 vehicle pile-up in heavy snow on, Dozens of people were injured, 10 critically, when 259 vehicles were involved in a series of related pile-ups due to heavy rain on the German Autobahn, Severe black ice, freezing fog, and deep snow led to a pileup on, Whiteout conditions caused several pileups involving 140, Heaving fog resulting in zero visibility led to crashes on, Dense fog caused a multiple-vehicle collision occurred on the, "Heavy, heavy fog" led to three separate chain-reaction crashes on, Heavy fog and a slippery road led to an accident on the, A slippery road caused a pileup in the Chugoku expressway in, Heavy fog and smoke fron a nearby ongoing marsh fire in New Orleans East led to a pileup on, A combination of fire smoke and fog (superfog) blinded drivers and resulted in a pileup on. "The first two flights were frontloaded with married guys. Ive thought about it quite often - quite often - when I go through there, Whitlock said softly. Still, he said, "we were able to help a lot of people, pull people out of cars that were on fire.". The crash site ultimately stretched for a half-mile in the north- and southbound lanes. The crash and its aftermath were "just horrific," Richardson said. 'When I came to work they almost had it filled.'. Dec. 11, 1990, the deadliest crash in U.S. history happened on I 75 in McMinn County. You've only got just your hands and a radio," he said. "It was unfortunate that it took [multiple] events like that to finally get the kind of action that was needed, which was to put in place the kind of [fog-alert] system that is presently there," said Hall, who lives on Signal Mountain. Wearing sunglasses to shield his eyes from the bright morning sun, Weaver approached Calhoun, Tenn., about 9 a.m. As he neared the state Route 163 overpass, visibility went to zero within seconds and fog engulfed his truck. Dec 4 In crashes with three or more vehicles there was 200 motorists killed (18% of all motorists killed) and 17 pedestrians killed (5% of all pedestrians killed). The stretch of I-75 has been notorious for fog since the highway opened in December 1973. Toll Increase Sought By Dulles Greenway Operators, Ashburn House Fire Displaces 4, Fire Department Says, LCPS Host Fentanyl Awareness Sessions + ABX-1 Celebration, Masons joining forces with INOVA Blood Donor Services to help our community, Master Singers of VA Presents Sing Her Song, Taxes in Retirement Seminar on March 7th and 8th at Claude Moore Recreation Center, AP Tests & Reviews | SAT | ACT | SOL Tests & Reviews, Foley Academy Irish Dance Spring Session Enrollment Open, Virginia Superintendent Of Public Instruction Jillian Balow Resigns, Peak DC Cherry Blossom Date Estimates Announced, Open Houses In And Around The Ashburn Area: Here Are The Latest Listings. Although the passengers aboard the plane came from 21 countries, the majority of them were Americans, and the attack increased terrorism fears in the United States. Ten-year-old Patty Nunnallee was among the 24 children killed, and Chuck Kytta, one of the chaperones on the trip, was one of three adults who died. 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