Forgot your password? 25 years ago, death was hidden in the fog on Interstate 75 near Calhoun, Tennessee. On the morning of December 11, 1990, 12 people were killed, 42 people were injured when dense fog formed within just a couple of hours just north of the Exit 36 bridge on I-75. * Use the right edge of the road or painted road markings as a guide. Generally occurring on high-capacity and high-speed routes such as freeways, they are one of the deadliest forms of traffic collisions. Move away from the vehicle to avoid injury.Source: National Weather ServiceHISTORY OF ACCIDENTSThe I-75 fog zone near Calhoun had a history of wrecks in heavy-morning fogs. The company ended up settling, claiming it was less expensive to settle than finish the suit. Kahane, Ph.D., Office of Standards Evaluation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C. 20590, Department for Transport statistics, Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Annual Report 2020, RAS40004 Reported accidents, vehicle user and pedestrian casualties by severity and combination of vehicles involved, Great Britain, 2013, Conseil Gnral des Ponts et Chausses, Paris, le 30 dcembre 2004, Bureau dEnqutes sur les Accidents de Transport Terrestre, Affaire n2002-0226-01, Rapport final de lenqute technique sur laccident survenu le 5 novembre 2002 sur lautoroute A10 Coulombiers, Jean Grard KOENIG, Ingnieur Gnral des Ponts et Chausses, Yves BONDUELLE, Inspecteur Gnral de lEquipement, Jean Paul BOIRON, Ingnieur Gnral des Ponts et Chausses, Bernard LOITIERE, Ingnieur Gnral des Ponts et Chausses, "On busy travel day, black ice led to massive pileup in Worcester", "Special cops work to unravel confusing highway pileups", National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Comparisons of Traffic Collisions between Expressways and Rural Roads in Truck Drivers", "Seven Killed as M1 Drivers Hit Sudden Fog", "9 KILLED, 40 HURT IN CRASHES IN FOG ON PIKE IN JERSEY", "L'accident d'autobus de Beaune qui fit 53 morts en 1982", "Limitations de vitesse: ractions des transporteurs", "UK motorway pile-up 'worst for two decades', "I-5 Is Reopened After Pileup That Killed 17: Traffic: Workers battle winds and sand clouds to clear highway of 104 vehicles that crashed in dust storm", "14 Killed, 114 Hurt in I-5 Pileups: Traffic: More than 100 vehicles collide in dust storm north of Coalinga. Still, he said, "we were able to help a lot of people, pull people out of cars that were on fire.". "So when he called me that morning, I was blessed," she said. People tend to follow taillights when driving in fog. / 35.324639N 84.782444W / 35.324639; -84.782444 / 35.324639N 84.782444W / 35.324639; -84.782444 The 1990 Interstate 75 fog disaster was a transportation accident that occurred on the morning of December 11, 1990, on a section of Interstate 75 (I-75) near Calhoun, Tennessee, during dense fog which obscured the visibility of motorists. "Stumbling Out Of The Fog:" Memories Of The Worst Traffic "I was so thankful for that woman who could talk to me about all the feelings you go through," Gallo said. Again, questions were raised about the role of water vapor and other emissions from the nearby Bowater paper mill and its wastewater cooling ponds along the Hiwassee River, about a mile south of the accident site. Many of the survivors and other victim families sued Bowater Inc., claiming that steam from the huge newsprint facility located near the interstate exacerbated the fog problem and contributed to the accident. "That kept you from being overwhelmed," he said. NASCAR fans, for example, talk about the "Big One", where many cars can be or are involved in a wreck while running close together. Cheetah briefly escapes enclosure at Omaha zoo. In 1998 Qaddafi finally accepted a proposal to extradite the men. The Focus passed the concrete truck in a no-passing zone, colliding head-on with a westbound Chevrolet Aveo. For the rest of the day, emergency responders pulled charred, unrecognizable corpses and pieces of bodies from smoldering, melted wreckage, collecting the remains in a makeshift morgue on the median strip. And the efforts appear to have paid off, transportation officials say. He couldn't do it anymore.". This will give veterans and family members a chance to see what it's like to be in the Army today, Sylvia said. I kind of wandered around trying to help people," he said. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Two officers from Racine County arrested on suspicion of drunken snowmobiling, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, 25-year-old Racine man dead in traffic crash on Highway 31 and Tabor Road, 'We messed up:' Explore Waterford board feels the heat from angry business owners, Racine man found passed out in his car, charged with 5th OWI, Man accused of starting house fire; claims Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientology are after him, Rollover crash on Mead Street leads to one death, Racine man charged in Feb. 4 drive-by shooting on Ohio Street, Inmate accused of throwing cup of urine at a corrections officer, Man whose birthday clothing led to his arrest in a 2021 shooting found guilty at trial, Racine County teacher's aide accused of drunkeness now under license investigation, Kenosha man accused of repeatedly assaulting a woman, Drunk at school? The second was in the afternoon in Dover and involved a head-on collision. CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) _ Every day Ray Whitlock drives from his home in Athens to Chattanooga, where he works as captain of the Tennessee Highway Patrols southeastern district. The crash site ultimately stretched for a half-mile in the north- and southbound lanes. Fearful that more cars could follow him, he jumped out of his car and looked back at the road. Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A swimmer visiting a beach in New South Wales, Australia, found a mussel-covered message in a bottle that turned out to have traveled more than 185 miles. Most of the plaintiffs - either victims or relatives of victims - blame Bowater Southern Inc., which operates a paper mill a couple of miles from the accident site. A worst case scenario is implemented when the visibility drops to below 240 feet and gates close the interstate at entrance ramps. Then a third semi crashed into the sedan, pushing it underneath the second trailer. WeatherBrains 893: These Guys Have The Same Voice, 26 Years Ago Today: Deadly East Tennessee Fog I-75 Crash, Rain Returns Today; Sharply Colder Thursday, Severe thunderstorm warning issued for northern Cullman county, Lightning tonight in Decatur Video from Jordan Pershin, Thunderstorms across North Alabama are becoming outflow dominant and the risk of severe storms for the rest of the https://t.co/Jbk7MexxC4, Severe thunderstorm warning issued for parts of Jackson County, There are no tornado or severe thunderstorm warnings for any part of Alabama as of 11p CT. A number of North Alabam https://t.co/DnfzfT53hc, Pea sized hail at Haleyville video from TaMeka Vickery, Rain and thunderstorms will continue over North Alabama tonight; a tornado watch is in effect until 2a CT. A flash https://t.co/Z7maSDzFve, The tornado warnings for Marion and Franklin counties have been canceled. "What a cruel, cruel, life.". The crash occurred about 8:15 a.m., approximately 30 minutes after the flight began. I want them to know we don't blame them. And from what I understand, it was his last call. [1] The disaster resulted in multiple safety improvements to the section of I-75 where the accident occurred. 'He handles everything concerning the balloon.'. His truck ended up pushed into the median, and he and his friend rushed to the relative safety of the grassy strip. 12.) "Just one right after another, on and on and on," recalled Dyer, now 47, in a recent interview. Gallo said. It also gives his soldiers a chance to connect with those who came before them, he said. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa. At about 8 a.m., a cement truck driven by a 28-year-old from Kenosha backed over two construction workers on the job site. The collisions continued for what seemed like forever to survivors, as one fog-blind driver after another slammed into the growing wreck. This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 16:05. The bushing fracture caused an almost explosive release of hydraulic fluid which struck the victim in the stomach under 11,000 pounds per square inch of pressure and blew him across the room in a work shack that covered the construction site. Another worker, identified as Jordan Newson, 29, of River Hills, is reported to have critical injuries. There were trucks burning, cars smashed to smithereens, Jeff Bolduc, a volunteer fireman, said in the hours after the grisly chain-reaction pileup. DeVane passed cars and trucks with minimal damage tucked among vehicles unrecognizably destroyed. Multiple-vehicle collisions are particularly deadly as the mass of crumpled vehicles makes escape for survivors difficult. This week's events will be a chance to bring together veterans and family members, some of whom have not returned to Fort Campbell since the tragic crash, he said. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the accident and probably wont release its conclusions until early next year, NTSB spokesman Mike Benson said. "We lost 248 soldiers, but we lost 10 times that in opportunities to go on and be productive.". 'He (Ingwersen) was out with some friends,' said Charlotte Bryant, office manager for the Bogey Inn. Dec 2 Robert Cummings, American actor (Love that Bob, Dial M For Murder), dies of kidney failure at 80. Fatal car crashes and road traffic accidents in Altoona. "If ever a family deserved a verdict in its favor, they did. Considering that these roads often have high traffic volumes, more cars are forced into braking and skidding, darting into other lanes and in front of oncoming traffic and so more vehicles become involved, creating a chain reaction effect. "She told me 3 o'clock in the morning is the hardest time. He began going car to car, trying to apply tourniquets and give first aid to those he found alive. December 11, 1990. "There were people involved in the wreck that spanned Chattanooga to Knoxville to Polk to Rhea counties," DeVane said. * Listen for traffic you cannot see. The crash prompted the development of mutual-aid agreements between first responders in the region, Wilkerson said. Determining the cause of such collisions is difficult for investigators and it is often impossible to tell if negligence caused the crash. The man killed has been identified as Lyle Roushia Jr., 56, of Racine. "It's like your world is over. Last of three loose bison rounded up in Maine. "The most scary thing was, you didn't know which way to run, which way to safety.". And every day, as he passes Exit 36 on Interstate 75 near Calhoun, Whitlock cant help but remember the fateful, fatal events that occurred there nearly a year ago. "The first two flights were frontloaded with married guys. Two dozen tractor-trailer rigs -- including a propane tank that miraculously didn't explode -- were involved, crushing vehicles between them. It consisted of a series of multi-vehicle collisions that ultimately involved 99 vehicles, and resulted in 12 deaths and 42 injuries. Since the alert system was completed, the fog-zone area has been shut down and traffic rerouted on two occasions. * Do not stop on a freeway or heavily traveled road. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Wearing sunglasses to shield his eyes from the bright morning sun, Weaver approached Calhoun, Tenn., about 9 a.m. As he neared the state Route 163 overpass, visibility went to zero within seconds and fog engulfed his truck. Listening to the tape still gives him chills, he said. Dec 3 Gavin Reed, actor (Body Beneath), dies at 59. It was a mess.. In spite of their frequency, little formal research has been done in the United States regarding their cause or causes.[4]. On Friday, Ms. Sheil said Bowater couldnt comment because of the pending lawsuits. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. "Fortunately, some of us got past it. Authorities said Recinos-Funes was driving a 2013 Dodge Charger when he hit two parked vehicles. It was Dec. 12, 1985, and the soldiers were on their way home from a peacekeeping deployment in the Sinai. Engineers break Guinness World Record with 289-foot paper airplane flight. What Happened on December 11, 1990 Home By Year 1990 December 11 Historical Events 13 die in 83 vehicle accident in Chattanooga Tn I-75, due to fog US 69th manned space mission STS 35 (Columbia 11) returns from space Famous Birthdays Alexa Demie, American actress (Euphoria), born in Los Angeles, California Famous Deaths He listened to crashes on the southbound side until he thought he had passed the major crash site. They contend Bowater contributed to the crash because steam from the paper mills warm water holding ponds created the fog or made it thicker. "How do you tell 248 family members their husbands are dead?" * Drive with lights on low beam. That's going to be my challenge.". Multiple vehicle collisions can occur in the restricted courses used in motorsports as well, most commonly after a green flag (on road courses) being waved following a warm-up lap during the start of the race. Twenty years ago, on Dec. 11, 1990, Dyer was the first responder to the worst fatal accident on Tennessee highways in nearly two decades, and the most deadly fog (Schneider, 1990). When oncoming traffic slowed and finally stopped, Dyer hitched a ride into the fog on the running board of an arriving ambulance. "Marriages and jobs didn't work, there was a lot of loss," he said. "It was pretty much slow motion. In the days after her husband's death, Gallo said "an older lady" came to her house. The state-of-the-art system represented a major leap forward in fog detection and driver notification and set a new standard for transportation departments worldwide, transportation officials said. Tennessee Safety Commissioner Robert Lawson said drivers may have been traveling too fast for the weather conditions. Construction equipment sits idlelate Thursday morning on Highway 11 by the intersection with Ohio Street. Surveying the bodies in the makeshift morgue, DeVane wondered if he could have done more. "It was always the plan that all of us bachelors would come home last, which seemed like a brilliant idea at the time," Richardson said. It was that sudden," he said. Assisting agencies included the Racine County Sheriffs Office, Racine Fire Department, Racine Police Department and the Racine County medical examiner. And the 1990 crash marked the third time in 12 years that a fog-induced pileup in the same three-mile fog zone prompted an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. 'I saw the green and white hot air balloon with Bogey Inn written on the side of it. The state also was criticized for not implementing detailed plans for a new fog-warning system after earlier pileups, particularly the fog-induced accidents of 1978 and 1979. "It has made an impact on people's lives. Four died from trauma, including abdominal hemorrhage, a fractured neck and a 51-year-old woman whose legs were cut off in the crash.Source: National Transportation Safety Board highway accident report, issued September 1992TIPS: DRIVING IN FOGFog forms when the temperature drops and invisible water vapor in the air condenses to form suspended water droplets. On the morning of December 11, 1990, 12 people were killed, 42 people were injured when dense fog formed within just a couple of hours just north of the Exit 36 bridge on I-75. Then-Bradley County deputy Bill Dyer was dispatched on a call about a wreck on the interstate he traveled to the Bradley-McMinn County border and could not find one. It's part of the fabric of this community.". 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