FORT WORTH, Texas — Authorities confirmed Thursday that at least five people have died as a result of a massive pileup on an interstate in Fort Worth, Texas.
“So far, we have at least five fatalities confirmed in this massive accident pileup on the tollway and on the freeway,” said Officer Daniel Segura with the Fort Worth Police Department in a briefing shortly before 11:30 a.m. EST.
Police said all lanes of northbound I-35 were closed Thursday due to the “major accident,” which was believed to have been caused by slippery road conditions in the morning.
The city’s fire department reported that multiple people had also been trapped in their vehicles as a result of the multi-vehicle collision.
The department estimated that at least 100 vehicles were involved and around 36 people were transported to area hospitals.
Preliminary information on MCI in Fort Worth. More info will be released later. At least 100 vehicles involved, 5 fatalities, 36 transported to local hospitals. #yourFWFD continues to work the incident and will be on scene for several hours. pic.twitter.com/DUtRJFKSI9
— Fort Worth Fire Department (@FortWorthFire) February 11, 2021
During their morning briefing, police said the scene was still very active as members of the fire department, MedStar and detectives worked to make sure the occupants of the cars were taken care of. Officers added that police were working with the community to reunite the drivers and passengers with their loved ones.
The crash happened as a winter storm brought freezing rain, sleet and snow to parts of the U.S.
The National Weather Service Fort Worth said many traffic accidents were seen across the Fort Worth area Thursday morning and they’re dangerous because of spotty ice. The agency stressed that road conditions can go from good to dangerous within blocks and urged drivers to take things slow.
So many traffic/accidents this morning, especially across the DFW Metroplex. These events are so dangerous because the ice is spotty. We can't stress enough that road conditions could go from good to dangerous within blocks. Take it slow out there... #dfwwx #ctxwx #txwx https://t.co/4uZ0UA4px5
— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) February 11, 2021