Minimum 14 people were transported to local hospitals.
As a freak snowstorm in mid-April swept through the area, a nearly 60-car pileup choked Chicago’s freeway. According to Block Club Chicago, the unexpected snowfall caused roads to become slippery. The first reports of the pileup were made shortly after 5 a.m. The Chicago Fire Department responded with its Mass Casualty Unit, and 12 ambulances to the chain reaction.
With undisclosed injuries, 14 people were transported to local hospitals. Their conditions are unknown. However, they were not considered life-threatening and no deaths have been reported. The Kennedy Expressway at North Avenue was the scene of the pileup. The accident closed the expressway for several hour, leaving one local lane inbound at 8:45 AM. However, express lanes inbound were open around the same time.
Photographs of the scene show semi-trucks and cars littered along the highway, with doors and bumpers broken and doors damaged. You can see the terrifying pileup in the video embedded below. As cars crash into one another, you can also hear others sliding backwards into the pileup.
You can also see a semi speeding through the chaos, but you never hear it collide. People also run across the concrete wall that runs along the highway to escape their cars. However, they are at risk of being struck or run over. Your safety should be maintained, but it depends on what is happening around you.
The Chicago pileup of today is a stark reminder of how quickly roads can become dangerously deteriorated by just a little snow and ice. According to an Illinois Department of Transportation spokesperson who spoke with the publication, there were fewer vehicles on the roads due to the state’s stay at-home order to combat the coronavirus. This made drivers more likely to speed, the spokesperson said.