More than a dozen people were taken to Chicago’s hospitals Wednesday morning following a massive pileup involving about 60 cars on an ice-covered highway, authorities said.
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At least 13 people sustained minor injuries while one other person was seriously hurt, according to the city’s fire department. Forty-five other people were evaluated at the scene and chose not to go the hospital.
The series of crashes happened around 5 a.m. on Kennedy Expressway, which was covered by snow and sheets of ice.
“Overnight, conditions deteriorated,” Deputy District Fire Chief John Giordano told The Chicago Tribune at the scene. “We got some snow. Some icy conditions on the expressway. Vehicles driving at high rates of speed caused the accident.”
“It caused an effect where vehicles couldn’t stop behind them because of the high speeds they were traveling, and thus the amount of vehicles we have at this time,” he said.
Besides the massive pileup, more than a dozen weather-related crashes were reported on Chicago’s highways Wednesday morning, according to Illinois State Police.
“The snow is still coming down,” the agency warned in a Facebook post. “We feel the same about it as you do. Help us out by STAYING AT HOME but if you must travel for essential travel, please SLOW DOWN.”
The National Weather Service said the snowstorm would end by late Wednesday morning, but it could still create “very hazardous travel conditions” throughout the day.