6 Dead in I90 pile up in Montana

[Talley56]

Really sad for those who lost their lives and their families.

 

https://buffalonews.com/news/national/2-kids-among-6-dead-in-montana-highway-pileup-8-others-hurt/article_dd8edc51-1529-56a5-9119-d7dcb436c37f.html

[Augie]

Incredibly sad. 

 

I never minded driving around town during heavy snow, but long distance on the highways would freak me out! I was returning from my uncle’s funeral (of all things, Buffalo to Cincinnati) with my nuclear family in the car at night along the lake. You know it’s bad, but there is nowhere to safely go. I was the only one awake.  You can’t just pull over or you’ll get crushed from behind. Hell, I didn’t even know where “over” was! I could barely see the hood of the car! I was driving by feel with those bump/lane dividers. At one point we went down a big swale and thought we were off the road, but then cruised past a stop sign. It was an exit that I got off on, then unfortunately was back on the highway before I could just hunker down. My mother woke up and said words that cannot be repeated here. 

 

We all lived, but the PTSD remains. That is some frightening stuff, and it left it’s mark on me. But this isn’t about me, it’s about those poor people going thru this tragic event.  

 

Prayers to those affected in any way. 

 

 

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Edited July 16, 2022 by Augie

[TBBills]

How much you want to bet there were plenty of people still going max speed even though they couldn't see.

[T&C]

16 minutes ago, TBBills said:

How much you want to bet there were plenty of people still going max speed even though they couldn't see.

From what I understand it came up out of nowhere so it takes some mind adjustment to figure out what is going on in a matter of seconds. I've never encountered anything like that... closest would be monsoon rain and snow squalls that also came out of nowhere.

[SoTier]

11 hours ago, T&C said:

From what I understand it came up out of nowhere so it takes some mind adjustment to figure out what is going on in a matter of seconds. I've never encountered anything like that... closest would be monsoon rain and snow squalls that also came out of nowhere.

 

Haboobs, the big walls of dust that are created when desert thunderstorms collapse, can be seen approaching from a long way away -- if you're in relatively flat terrain and happen to be looking in the right direction.  Otherwise, they seem to come out of nowhere.   My guess is that this was something similar to a haboob, only far removed from any real deserts because of the western drought.   In the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, dust storms became fairly common on the Great Plains because of the extreme drought conditions at the time.

[BuffaloBill]

I think about the number of lucky times I have driven on I-90 in blinding snow where you just hoped the red lights in front of you were on the road.  May the families and friends of those terribly impacted by this event find peace.  

[Draconator]

The worst for me was driving on the Grapevine (1-5 in California) in the thickest fog you've ever seen. If you go above 10 mph, you're running into the back of a semi. It was worse than a whiteout. You put your hazard lights on only, and you're blinded by those. 

[Steptide]

15ish years ago (maybe a little less) there was a bad pile up in Rochester by the airport due to a whiteout from blowing snow. Pretty sure a few people were killed if I remember correctly. 

[The Dean]

Horrible and so sad.

 

I have to admit, however, the dark side of me is wondering how much dental floss was lost in the accident.

 

Sorry. Very Sorry.

[SinceThe70s]

On 7/16/2022 at 9:14 PM, T&C said:

From what I understand it came up out of nowhere so it takes some mind adjustment to figure out what is going on in a matter of seconds. I've never encountered anything like that... closest would be monsoon rain and snow squalls that also came out of nowhere.

 

Your point about mind adjustment hit home for me.

 

On a recent leisurely drive in upstate NY I could see that rain was coming, but driving at highway speed conditions devolved more rapidly and intensely than I expected. It was pretty much a white-out and at an interchange with a bunch of semis around me. Wifey suggested to pull off to the shoulder - and a bunch of cars did just that - but I felt safer pressing on at a slower speed with the hazards on. TBH not sure whether that was the right decision or not, but it worked out because the storm was short-lived.