Massive 45-Car Pileup Shuts Down I-70 During Thanksgiving Winter Storm

Severe weather passed through Indiana during Thanksgiving weekend, resulting in numerous accidents across the state. Icy, near-whiteout conditions led to a massive pileup involving 45 cars on I-70 westbound on Saturday, November 29th. The accident happened in western Indiana outside of Terre Haute, not far from the Illinois border, at Mile Marker 15 in Vigo County.

“Unfortunately, I see this every year,” says nationally recognized truck accident attorney David W. Craig. “A few people refuse to slow down for adverse weather, and those few endanger everyone else on the road,” said David. This is especially true for those semi drivers who fail to use extreme caution and slow down as required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the CDL Manual. Check www.semicrashmap.com to see the location of this crash.

The accident was first reported to the Indiana Department of Transportation at 11:30am, though Sargeant Matt Ames, spokesperson for the Indiana State Police, had been offering updates on dangerous road conditions in the area since 8:53am. Before the major pileup was reported, he was urging drivers to stay home if possible. He reported slide offs along I-70 as a result of weather conditions throughout the morning and shared that the Putnamville Troopers were responding to several accidents near the 15-mile marker that resulted in westbound lanes being shut down by 9:24am.

The Riley Fire Department claimed in a Facebook post that the full pileup was the largest wreck their department has responded to, with 45 damaged vehicles, and 12 transports to the hospital. There were reportedly no serious injuries or fatalities. Even as cleanup was ongoing, Sargeant Ames remarked that there were several slide-offs on the east side of the highway as well. “If you can stay home, just stay home. This is about a [45] car pileup here that’s unnecessary. People need to drive smart when the snow starts falling. reduce your speed, make sure your buckled up, and let’s all be safe out there.” He also offers the advice that drivers should “reduce your speed and increase your following distance”

Cleanup concluded and the road officially reopened at 4:30pm. Vigo County was under a winter weather advisory until 10am Sunday according to the National Weather Service. The Midwest region experienced sudden and severe winter weather this weekend, with lake-effect snow burying communities in Ohio and Michigan, and the Winter Storm Bellamy hitting parts of Iowa and Wisconsin. These conditions are especially dangerous when considering the influx of travelers for the holiday season.