2 dead, 62 hurt in 40-vehicle New Orleans pileup
Several vehicles lie mangled in the westbound lane of I-10 between I-510 and Michoud Boulevard in eastern New Orleans, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. Police said two men died and 59 people were hurt in a predawn pileup of about 40 vehicles that closed heavily trafficked Interstate 10 in eastern New Orleans through rush hour and beyond. (AP Photo/The Times-Picayune, Eliot Kamenitz)
NEW ORLEANS >> Police say two men have been killed and 62 people hurt in a 40-vehicle pileup that closed Interstate 10 for hours in eastern New Orleans.
Officer Garry Flot said 25 people were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical while 37 others refused treatment for minor injuries after the 4 a.m. Thursday pileup. Flot says one firefighter was hurt while working at the scene.
Flot said the dead were identified as the driver of a pickup truck and a 54-year-old passenger in another pickup. The crash occurred on the interstate lanes heading toward the city’s business district. Eastbound lanes were restricted to emergency vehicles.
The interstate remained closed in the early afternoon.
Police were investigating the cause, including whether fog or smoke limited visibility.
