Two large pileups, involving approximately 40 vehicles, occurred within a half-mile of each other on Interstate 74 in West Harrison, Indiana, this afternoon.
According to Fox-19, both crashes occurred around 10:45 a.m., on opposite sides of the highway.
As a result, Interstate 74 near the Ohio/Indiana border was closed in both directions.
“There’s actually two crashes, basically in the same location. I’m getting possibly 28 vehicles in the first crash and 12 additional vehicles in the second crash,” said Indiana State Police Sgt. Stephen Wheeles
Close to 30 vehicles involved in I-74 crash pic.twitter.com/4xVICrMHxc
— Sgt. Stephen Wheeles (@ISPVersailles) January 12, 2016
Six people were hurt in the crash. Their injuries were reported as non-life threatening.
The crash was caused, in part, by unexpected snow squalls that reduced road visibility to near zero. All traffic is currently being diverted to U.S. 50.
The American Red Cross is providing snacks and blankets to stranded drivers.
This crash occurred around the same time that a 30-vehicle pileup closed Interstate 70 in Richmond, Indiana, approximately 50 miles north.
Update:
The highway has been reopened.