Sunday, May 19, 2024

Ferocious Oklahoma dust storm causes deadly pileup

GOODWELL, Okla. – A dust storm stirred up close to zero visibility throughout the Oklahoma Panhandle on Tuesday and triggered a 10- to 12-car pileup that killed a driver.

“The initial crash was a non-injury, actually, but because traffic is pulling up onto other vehicles in the roadway, obviously that creates a really serious situation and in zero visibility,” stated Trooper Eric Foster, of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. “One crash happens, then another happens right behind very quickly.”

He stated the primary crash was between two business vehicles or a automotive and a truck that have been stopped in the course of the highway. Another car was driving too quick for the situations, could not see by the dust and slammed into the primary two automobiles.

“It’s hard to tell because it took us a while to get into it,” Foster stated. “We’re still trying to iron all that out as to which one was first and which one was second because it all kind of precipitated things.”

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Hurricane-force winds

The NWS clocked wind gusts as much as 84 mph Tuesday in Guymon, Oklahoma.

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“We had 80-mile-an-hour wind blowing out there in the Panhandle, which is really a lot of farmland and a lot of dust,” Foster stated. “So, it created a zero-visibility situation blowing across the highway.”

One OHP crew needed to drive by a wall of dust to get to the scene of the pileup. According to a tweet, the crew was following an ambulance to the crash web site and will barely see the emergency car’s flashing lights.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV

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The blinding situations slowed down first responders attending to the scene and looking for injured victims, based on Foster. Winds prevented medical helicopters from ferrying those that have been severely injured. One individual died on the scene.

Video recorded by a Texas County, Oklahoma, Sheriff’s deputy confirmed the chaos surrounding the a number of accidents – mangled automobiles and semi-trailer components littered the freeway.

Troopers closed down Highway 54 for about three hours.

More journey hassle

The similar storm that triggered the chaos in Oklahoma triggered harmful dust storms in California and New Mexico, the place automotive crashes additionally closed highways. 

HIGH WINDS CAUSE DANGEROUS DUST STORMS IN CALIFORNIA, FLIGHT DELAYS IN LAS VEGAS

The FAA closed Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport throughout the worst of the wind. The NWS recorded a 64-mph gust, making touchdown unsafe. Several planes have been pressured to divert to Los Angeles, based on FlightAware.

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