On Saturday, February 27, 30 cars piled up against each other on Yellowstone River Bridge in Billings, Montana.
What We Know:
- State Justice Department Communications Director Kyler Nerison stated the cause of this immense accident was the “whiteout/zero visibility conditions brought on by a sudden snow squall.” The same day, the Billings National Weather Service (NWS) branch released a statement saying that there would be heavy snow showers in the area.
- They advised drivers that I-90, the site in which Yellowstone River Bridge is located, would be affected by the conditions. According to Yahoo!, the NWS informed the public that the blizzard-like circumstances would result in highly reduced visibility and slick roads.
- The crash occurred before noon on the westbound lane of I-90. The number of motor vehicles stretched almost half the bridge. It resulted in traffic in both directions for several hours, as State Troopers worked until around 4:30 p.m. investigating the root of the accident. The pileup was so massive it required the American Medical Response crew of Billings to enact their mass casualty plan; the emergency required 30 off-duty paramedics to be called in.
- Billings Logan International Airport Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting brought in a team to recover travelers who became stranded on the bridge. They took them to the local MetraPark, where Yellowstone County’s Disaster and Emergency Services had a center for friends and family to retrieve their loved ones. Paramedics were also on scene to check civilians for possible damages.
There are no fatalities from this accident. However, four people were taken to the hospital. Three suffered minor injuries, while another would need to be treated for serious ones.
