I heard it wasn’t really weather-related to the snow/ice. The guy driving a tractor at the lead had an issue with glare and that started the entire chain reaction
Yes. Glare is certainly an unexpected event resulting from melting ice and snow.
Of course not! Yeah... musta been something else...
I used to drive that stretch of road every morning at around 6:15. Even at that hour it was very busy, and the rising sun in my eyes could be quite challenging. There are a lot of cars and tractor-trailers on that road heading to NJ and NYC. The road has little shoulder in many sections. There really isn't a lot of margin for error on a good morning, let alone an icy one. With so many vehicles involved, the injuries and fatalities could have been far worse.