From The Archives: The I 75 Chain Collision Wreck
At 9:10 AM, an 18 wheeler rear ends another one in the fog.
The drivers got out to look at the damage, when another car plowed into them, setting off a fire that consumed all three vehicles.
Then, in the northbound lane, a car rear ends another car in the fog.
Then a pickup, followed by two more cars.
Despite the flames, traffic just couldn’t see the scene ahead of them because of the fog.
Over the next half an hour, 99 vehicles would pileup on both sides of the interstate.
There were multiple fires and explosions. And bodies that were consumed in the flames.
An hour later, this was the worst traffic crash in U.S. history (though it would be surpassed in later years).
To mark the 25th anniversary of that deadly pileup, we have pulled several stories from that day and the next.
We start with the top of our 6PM newscast on the 11th.
Our next clip comes from the 11pm newscast that night with an update as the cleanup goes well into the night.
The anchors are Christy Murphy and Ted Perry.
The reporter is Stephen Ruf (now at Southern Adventist University)
Our third clip comes from our noon show the next day, where we learn about damage to the interstate from the wreck.
Rebecca Williams is the anchor.
The reporter is Dan Howell (now the state representative from Cleveland)
And finally, we have reports from our 6pm newscast the next day.
We hear stories of the victims, the survivors, and the heroes who rescued them.
When the victims were all identified, the final tally would by 12 killed and 42 injured.
After several investigations, the state would abandon their old warning systems that relied on state troopers and move to the animated warnings system we now have at the river.
And while there have been more wrecks, none came close to the pileup of 1990.
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