Over 100 cars were involved in multiple crashes amid a winter storm over a 30-mile freeway stretch in Illinois on Thursday.
Part of the freeway, Interstate 39 near El Paso, was shut after multiple accidents emerged. According to a report from ABC 7 in Chicago, authorities did not report any injuries.
In a statement posted to Twitter, the Illinois State Police said that the freeway will be closed from Normal to Minonk in Illinois for about 12 hours.
- “Together, with our local partners, we are diligently working to ensure motorists are safely escorted from the area to warming centers,” the tweet added.
Per The Washington Post, the incidents occurred when the storm unleashed strong winds, flooding and tornadoes in the central and eastern U.S.
David Troesser, one of the drivers, recorded footage on his cellphone, showing dozens of cars and trucks off the road, some with their lights flashing, others in snow-covered ditches. One sedan had its entire back-end crushed.
“Oh my ..., there’s more. They’re just piling up,” he said. “It’s getting bad, y’all.”
The state received over six inches of snow during the winter storm, per NBC News. The storm is now moving northeast, with strong winds. Snow showers and squalls can be expected in the northern parts of the Midwest and East Coast.