Per NBC DFW: A "mass casualty incident" on Interstate 35W just north of downtown Fort Worth,

[Volare]

If it's uphill why can't he see the cars in front of him are stopped?

I'm pretty sure he had them locked up for quite a while, that's why the truck was skidding sideways. The road does some weird stuff there. When you are northbound, there's the bridge over the Trinity, then you're back on earth for a bit, then a short bridge over Northside, and then shortly after that the hill begins and you are wayyyyy above the ground and climbing for quite a stretch until you clear the tracks and Watuga road. I took this photo this afternoon from underneath that high bridge:

Incidentally, the roads that weren't elevated were likely free of ice. I was driving this morning underneath 35 on Watauga and it was completely bare.

 

[TCURiggs]

If it's uphill why can't he see the cars in front of him are stopped?

Yeah, I think he's incorrect about that being Northbound. All of the high-speed stuff in the videos was Southbound/downhill. In the video with the FedEx truck, you can see the car that's filming struggling to go uphill/Northbound. Same thing in the other video.

A friend of a friend was about the 8th or 10th car in the wreck, but was able to somehow get out, and he said that everyone was cruising at normal highway speeds in the toll lane as they came up to that spot. He said that everyone started slamming on the breaks, but it was just a sheet of ice. He said it was really quiet and eerie not being able to hear tires squealing, as the only sounds were when the cars were impacting each other. Crazy.

 

[Frog-in-law1995]

Yeah, I think he's incorrect about that being Northbound. All of the high-speed stuff in the videos was Southbound/downhill. In the video with the FedEx truck, you can see the car that's filming struggling to go uphill/Northbound. Same thing in the other video.

A friend of a friend was about the 8th or 10th car in the wreck, but was able to somehow get out, and he said that everyone was cruising at normal highway speeds in the toll lane as they came up to that spot. He said that everyone started slamming on the breaks, but it was just a sheet of ice. He said it was really quiet and eerie not being able to hear tires squealing, as the only sounds were when the cars were impacting each other. Crazy.

Towards the end of that really bad video from the northbound guy, you can see what looks like a white truck spinning in circles into the pile.

edit: right around the 2:05 mark. You can see the brake light on the back of the cab.

 

[OmniscienceFrog]

I generally try to avoid New Jersey (what’s the deal with no self serve gas stations there!). I am, however a big fan of jugs...

We have some inanely designed thing called a Michigan left. You have to go thru the intersection to a light 1/4 mile past make a u turn go back and turn right. Just idiotic. It is supposed to preclude the need for a left arrow!?! To what benefit?

They have some of those in New Orleans too.

 

[Hoosierfrog]

They have some of those in New Orleans too.

I’ve seen them at Mardi Gras up on the balcon...
...oh, the freeway ramps. Never mind.

 

[More Frogs the Better]

In other words, it's a cluster#*^%:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-spot-deadly-133-car-232557253.html

 

[FrogPreacher]

Yes, here in the Northeast they flash reduced speed signs on the major highways and sometimes shut the roads down. I rarely go out when there is ice. If I was in Texas, I wouldn't leave my house unless it was a matter of life and death.

Texas drivers are about the worst bad weather drivers ever. And I can't recall the roads ever being closed except when they are flooded out. You basically can't slow down quickly on ice.

Texas drivers are awful even in good weather! I spent about 4.5 years working as a chauffeur in North Texas and I saw some stupid, dangerous, idiotic stuff during that time.

 

[FrogPreacher]

That stretch of 35 was designed, rebuilt and is owned (temporarily) by a company from Spain called Cintra.

Isn't that the same company that did the toll lanes on 635?

 

[Volare]

Yeah, I think he's incorrect about that being Northbound. All of the high-speed stuff in the videos was Southbound/downhill. In the video with the FedEx truck, you can see the car that's filming struggling to go uphill/Northbound. Same thing in the other video.

Yeah you're right, I looked at it again. Fedex was southbound. That makes sense they were on good traction ground until they went under 28th street and shortly after they started to go downhill they were on the bridge and onto a sheet of ice. Crazy indeed.

 

[YA]

More video from fb on this. Pretty shocking. Sorry I cannot post a video in a proper format.

Look at the 1:16 mark. You will see a guy jump over the concrete wall right as the truck hits and he escapes death. Either that or he was ejected from his vehicle. He just gets up and walks away. Amazing!!

 

[Frog-in-law1995]

Look at the 1:16 mark. You will see a guy jump over the concrete wall right as the truck hits and he escapes death. Either that or he was ejected from his vehicle. He just gets up and walks away. Amazing!!

Holy [ Finebaum ]! Don’t see him jump the wall...looks to me like he had been walking on the northbound side and ducked down prior to the 18-wheeler ramming the PT cruiser. But even still, that dude is lucky as hell.

edit: on second look, after slowing it down, it does look like he may have jumped the barrier just in time. Jesus.

 

[Horny 4 Life]

Look at the 1:16 mark. You will see a guy jump over the concrete wall right as the truck hits and he escapes death. Either that or he was ejected from his vehicle. He just gets up and walks away. Amazing!!

Maybe it was this guy...what an amazingly selfless, and completely stupid, thing to do.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/m...-deadly-i-35-pileup-in-fort-worth/ar-BB1dBYez

 

[YA]

Maybe it was this guy...what an amazingly selfless, and completely stupid, thing to do.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/m...-deadly-i-35-pileup-in-fort-worth/ar-BB1dBYez

I believe this video was before the fed ex truck.

what made me curious is channel 5 highlighted another angle from someone else and talked about a guy jumping over the barrier right before he was crushed. They are actively looking for him. His name will be out shortly with internet sleuths.

 

[Horny 4 Life]

I believe this video was before the fed ex truck.

what made me curious is channel 5 highlighted another angle from someone else and talked about a guy jumping over the barrier right before he was crushed. They are actively looking for him. His name will be out shortly with internet sleuths.

You're right, I was thinking of a different video where you can see a guy walking on the other side of the barrier as a semi crashed into cars.

I never noticed that guy while watching the video you quoted. I was just sick for the person(s) in the FJ who I assume could not have made it through that.

 

[flyfishingfrog]

I live about a mile east of this mess. Just to clarify a few things:

This occurred in the managed toll lanes, both north and southbound. The maintenance of the managed toll lanes is not done by TxDOT, but rather by the private entity that profits from the usage of the toll road. The free TxDOT lanes had been brined and sanded and did not have anywhere near the problems seen in the video. Whether the toll lanes had been correctly treated will no doubt come out in discovery.

The Fedex truck in the video is traveling northbound which is actually uphill. So at least this portion of the debacle wasn't a downhill gravity issue.

The toll lanes are built with very high concrete barriers and no shoulders. Thus you get what you see here. Horrible design. The reason I-35W wasn't fixed and this toll garbage was done is because TxDOT has no money. This is one of many consequences of keeping the same state gas tax rate for more than 30 years.

Or what happens when you give the revenue from a major portion of government lands to two University systems to subsidize tuition costs instead of using it to support the citizens of the state....

 

[The Artist Formerly Known as PhormerPhrog]

In other words, it's a cluster#*^%:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-spot-deadly-133-car-232557253.html

Pretty rich coming from Ramon. He's been state rep since 2014 and before that he was on the city council. Not saying he had much pull to change anything directly but he should have been sounding the alarm for his district. There's not much on which I agree with him but we could have found some common ground here.

YA said it best that Perry really screwed the pooch on by putting Texas highways up for sale.

I guess there's no time like the present but if this doesn't start the process of overhauling our toll system then nothing will.

 

[Frog-in-law1995]

Pretty rich coming from Ramon. He's been state rep since 2014 and before that he was on the city council. Not saying he had much pull to change anything directly but he should have been sounding the alarm for his district. There's not much on which I agree with him but we could have found some common ground here.

YA said it best that Perry really screwed the pooch on by putting Texas highways up for sale.

I guess there's no time like the present but if this doesn't start the process of overhauling our toll system then nothing will.

He was never on City Council. He ran once, but lost. I believe he was chairman of the city’s zoning commission before running for state rep.

Agree on the highways, but at least we saved a crapload of tax dollars. Of course, I now spend more on tolls getting around the gridlock intentionally created by the roadway design right where the toll road on ramps are.

 

[Eight]

I was thinking 50, but you might be right. I honestly can’t remember.

43 years according to the article i linked which was a bit of a strange number, would guess it is based off how long it will take to pay off construction cost or some variation of that metric

 

[Frog-in-law1995]

43 years according to the article i linked which was a bit of a strange number, would guess it is based off how long it will take to pay off construction cost or some variation of that metric

Yeah, they calculated when they expect to hit the number that made the deal worth it.

 

[Paint It Purple]

I miss Texas freeways with a vengeance. These expressways in the north are the worst with their cloverleafs and stupidly designed on and off ramps. Every friggin intersection is different, some surface roads enter the freeway from the right, the next one might be the left. I hate complimenting Aggies but at least they came up with the feeder road direct access on and off ramps. Maybe Mississippi of the Midwest just can’t afford all that frontage...

Not to mention they think 4 wheel drive somehow is a benefit on ice. Snow yes, but only studded tires work on ice and are usually illegal.

Liked for Mississippi of the Midwest. Funny. I've been to Indiana and to Mississippi. Indiana is nice, very nice out in the country and I've known some good people from Indiana. My old TCU roommate was from West Lafayette. Mississippi gets a very unfair stereotype from the past. It is a beautiful state and great folks, plus it's in Dixie.