Northbound and southbound Interstate 35 near Huxley, Iowa, has reopened after a large, multi vehicle crash shut down the highway on Saturday morning.
The incident happened near mile marker 100, around 10:15 a.m., on Saturday, February 17th.
The Iowa State Patrol said the pileup was caused due to a snowstorm that hit the area, causing slick roads and low visibility. Troopers estimate that roughly 50 vehicles, including passenger vehicles, tractor trailers, and a school bus, were involved in the accident.
BREAKING: At 1040 a.m., Major accident on I-35 SB near Huxley, IA (exit 102).
Snow now moving towards Marshalltown area/Highway 30.
Visibility and snow ending in Des Moines and west of Des Moines. #IowaWeather pic.twitter.com/zpWxZH74s6— NWS Des Moines (@NWSDesMoines) February 17, 2018
Troopers closed the highway in both directions between Exit 96 and Exit 102 as a result of the pileup.
“Visibility was very bad for a brief few moments and it was a quick Iowa storm that moved through here quickly” Iowa State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Nathan Ludwig said.
“Bottom line, this is Iowa winter,” Ludwig said. “People need to adjust to this in the roadway.”
It’s hard to get perspective on just how far cars and trucks kept piling up on I-35S (north of Ankeny), but this video gets end of it.
First responders on scene. Hoping best for all. pic.twitter.com/M2nXGSPGqg— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) February 17, 2018
Several injuries were reported and one person was flown to a nearby hospital, but an exact amount of injuries, as well as the severity of the injuries, were not immediately available.
As of 2:50 p.m., the highway was reopened in both directions.
Motorist Louis Logn captured the following footage of the scene, showing the severity of the pileups.