125 car Pile-up Kills 10 in Georgia

CNN ^ | CNN

[Bryan24]

Interstate in Georgia gets fogged in. 125 autos involved.

[dasher]

Speed and fog don't mix. My heart goes out to the families of the lost and to those who are injured.

[Bryan24]

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (CNN) -- At least 10 people were killed when dozens of vehicles collided on fog-enshrouded Interstate 75 near the Georgia-Tennessee line early Thursday, jamming traffic for 30 miles in both directions south of Chattanooga.

The Georgia Department of Transportation confirmed the deaths. The chain-reaction accident also caused numerous injuries.

Between 100 and 125 vehicles -- 20 of them tractor-trailers -- were involved in the accident in Catoosa County near Ringgold, Georgia, said Georgia State Patrol Chief Mary Jones.

A Georgia Highway Patrol spokeswoman said visibility in the area was 10 to 15 feet at the time of the accident, which happened between 7:30 a.m. and 7:45 a.m., and that the fog lifted about an hour later, giving emergency crews their first look at the extent of the damage.

The highway patrol spokeswoman said that state authorities were on a skeleton crew because many officers are at a state training center in the middle of the state. She said off-duty officers are coming to the scene, as well as officers assigned to the crematory case in Noble, Georgia.

The injured were taken to a number of area hospitals. Seven adults and a child were taken to Erlanger Hospital, a Level-1 trauma center in Chattanooga, 15 miles from the accident site.

Three of the injured adults were being treated for major injuries, four of them for minor injuries, said hospital spokeswoman Sharon Cahill. The child's condition had not been determined.

The Georgia Department of Transportation said that both north- and southbound lanes on the interstate were shut down between exits 348 and 350. Northbound traffic was being routed to State Route 151 at exit 348 and then onto State Route 3 or US 41. Northbound traffic rejoined I-75 in East Ridge, Tennessee.

Southbound traffic was routed onto State Route 2 and exit 350, then onto State Route 3 and U.S. 41 before rejoining the interstate at exit 348.

[Mixer]

There was a 100 car pile-up in PA not too long ago. These things are a real mess. Today I was on 80 East and there was a 4 car pil-up that stopped traffic for miles. I can't even imagine what this must be like.

[dr gene scott]

It was very foggy here also, I always take extra precautions when its like that. Amazing, how some drivers speed-up in the rain and fog.

[areafiftyone]

I've seen people driving in fog at 70-80 miles and hour. These people are crazy. Whenever I see fog that heavy I put my emergency blinkers on and slow down. One time in dense fog I saw one car drive past me at that crazy speed and about a mile up the road I saw the same car imbedded under Mac truck!

[Bryan24]

It was foggy here in North Alabama this morning. But 10-15 ft visibility? Good grief. Anything over 20mph would be dangerous in fog that thick.

[DJ88]

I have traveled that area many, many times...it has got to be THE WORST traffic area in any state..there is NEVER a time they are not doing construction, and it's ALWAYS dangerous.

Do you remember that big huge pile up in TN about 10 years ago or so? It was HORRIBLE.

BTW..just some trivia for you..."Ringgold", GA is famous for it's little "Marriage Chapel"...(gold ring, "Ringgold"). That's where Dolly Parton (I believe it was her) got married. ;-)

[cincinnati65]

Waiting for Dem's to somehow tie this to the mass exodus of folks leaving Tennessee following this.....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/646361/posts

[areafiftyone]

I've noticed that people who own these huge SUV's are the ones who seem to think they are invincible on the road. Even during heavy Rain, Snow or Fog they always act like they are on the Daytona Speedway. Don't get me wrong - I love SUV's but they these people a false sense of security on the road. I've seen these things flipped over on the side of the road and believe me its not a pretty sight!

[cincinnati65]

Sorry, bad link.

Waiting for Dem's to tie this to a mass exodus from Tenn. following.....

TN Sales Tax hike nixed in House

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

Waiting for Dem's to somehow tie this to the mass exodus of folks leaving Tennessee following this.....

Or maybe this one: "We have to close the auto show loophole..." (sorry, that one just kind of wrote itself)

[MassExodus]

Waiting for Dem's to tie this to a mass exodus from Tenn. following.....

Never been to Tenn.

[DJ88]

I remember driving through West Virginia when the fog was so bad you couldn't see anything in FRONT of your BUMPER! I was scared to death...(not literally, of course, or I wouldn't be writing this). It's almost as bad as driving in one of those supercell t-storms where the rain is so heavy you can't see anything, either. I hate that....living in FL, I travel up to GA alot to see my family..I always try to leave early in the morning on my way back home to beat the seabreeze t-storms. They're horrible. I got stuck last year when Tropical Storm Allison when through GA...I was going away with my husband for the weekend, and I had been up in GA for a week...I watched the Weather Channel and decided that I had better leave a day earlier to get home than I had planned, and spend the night in Valdosta. Guess what? The Weather Channel was a little off with it's prediction (wasn't their fault, the storm just moved in faster) and I hit the Valdosta city line and WHAM! I could NOT SEE ANYTHING...it was raining SO HARD that you could not see 3" in front of you, you couldn't see tailights, nothing. I was shaking like a leaf...thank goodness I had just filled up my Suburban, because I would have been slipping and sliding all over the roads...I finally got on the CB and told those truckers I needed some help...one told me he was in front of me, and one got in back of me, and they both guided me off an exit ramp...and I spent the night in Valdosta ...sans the truck drivers, LOL! Well, the area that I had chosen got the ABSOLUTE WORST WEATHER from the storm...I was in the shower, and the lights went out! Talk about freaking out! All I could think of was the movie "Pycho"....as soon as the feeder band moved out, and I waited for the next one, I jumped in the 'Burb, headed right down the street to the closest gas station, bought myself a 6pack and drank the whole dang thing, all the while praying that lightning would not strike the gas pumps outside the hotel. What a night.

[soozla]

"Waiting for Dem's to tie this to a mass exodus from Tenn. following....."

Rubberneckers in the area of Tri-State Crematorium

[Brookhaven]

I have traveled that area many, many times...it has got to be THE WORST traffic area in any state..there is NEVER a time they are not doing construction, and it's ALWAYS dangerous.

Can't disagree with that. It seems no matter how much they widen the interstate along that stretch, it just isn't enough. It also seems to have more trucks using it than any other stretch of interstate I can th ink of.

Another bad stretch is 75 after Knoxville when it goes over the mountains. Not too crowded, but any type of bad weather (especially when it fogs up, which is often) makes it really bad.

[MinuteGal]

There's nothing like interstate highway morning fogs in these southern states. Most drivers are in such a danged hurry that they don't have the sense to GET OFF THE ROAD IMMEDIATELY!

I always turn off at the nearest exit and wait the fog out over a cup(s) of coffee. I'd rather lose time than my life.

Merely slowing down with emergency lights turned on doesn't do a lick of good when a fully-loaded semi bears down on your rear at 70 MPH!

Leni

[CFW]

DJ, only you can turn a simple road trip into a "made for tv" movie.

But, the funny thing is....I remember when you made that trip. LOL