December 2009 Interstate 10 pileup

December 2009 Interstate 10 pileup

December 2009 Interstate 10 pileup
Details
Date and time: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 10:50 am MST
Location: Interstate 10 near Casa Grande, Arizona
Statistics
Vehicles: 13 automobiles and 9 trucks
Deaths: 3
Injuries: 14 (5 serious)

The December 2009 Interstate 10 pileup was a 22 vehicle accident in Arizona in which three people were killed and 14 others were injured. A sudden dust storm brought about by gusty winds caused visibility to drastically drop along Interstate 10, the main cause of the accident. A tank truck involved in the collision exploded, igniting a fire which burned seven other trucks.

Contents

Cause

During the morning of December 22, 2009, a cold front moving through the Western United States resulted in increased winds in the state. Across a portion of the state, wind gusts reached 40 mph (64 km/h), kicking up dust and reducing visibilities.[1] According to a local police officer, a nearby farm, which had been recently cultivated, may have contributed to the event.[2] Around 10:50 am MST, a dust storm suddenly caused visibility along Interstate 10 near Casa Grande to substantially decrease. In the eastbound lanes, this resulted in a major multi-vehicle collision.[1] About 300 yd (270 m) of the highway was covered by the dust.[3] According to the National Weather Service, the even was not considered a true dust storm, but rather "a case of very localized dust being picked up and thrown across the highway."[2]

Accident and response

As the dust storm obscured visibility on the highway, 13 automobiles and 9 trucks collided with each other, killing three people and injuring 14 others.[1] A tank truck involved in the crash exploded, setting seven other vehicles on fire. Initial reports presumed that the truck driver was killed in the explosion;[4] however, he managed to escape the truck shortly before the explosion and was able to survive.[5] Five of these people sustained severe injuries, requiring a helicopter airlift to a nearby hospital,[4] and several were burned by fire.[1][2] The three people who were killed were ages 14, 17 and 25.[4] The two teenagers were siblings from Casa Grande, they were with their father in the crash. The father survived the crash but sustained severe injuries and spent several days in the intensive care unit at a local hospital.[6] Following their deaths, the mother set up a trust fund in their names and wanted to set up a fund to give scholarships to local students.[7] Entire semi-trailer trucks were burned to their frames by the ensuing fires.[8] Initial reports indicated that between 30 and 40 cars were involved in the accident;[2] however, a final report indicated only 22 were involved.[1] Following the accident, local police were deployed to the area following 9-1-1 calls. Traffic stops were set up to slow traffic around the area of the crash to prevent further loss of life or injury.[2] Due to the large amount of debris left behind, the highway was shut down around the scene of the crash, as well as around another crash that took place nearby, until 8:00 pm MST.[9] A memorial website was also set up for the two teenagers who died;[7] however, it has since been shut down.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Arizona Event Report: Dust Storm". National Climatic Data Center. 2010. http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~789420. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Staff Writer (December 22, 2009). "3 killed in wrecks caused by Arizona dust storm, police say". CNN. http://articles.cnn.com/2009-12-22/us/arizona.interstate.crash_1_dust-storm-dust-problem-warning-coordination-meteorologist?_s=PM:US. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  3. ^ Mark Carlson (December 22, 2009). "Four Dead In Massive Arizona Dust Storm Accident". Fox News. http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-news-duststorms1222,0,4524590.story. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  4. ^ a b c Frank Camacho and Catherine Holland (December 22, 2009). "3 dead in massive pileup on I-10 caused by dust storm". Arizona Family. http://www.azfamily.com/traffic/Dust-storm-leads-to-wrecks-near-Casa-Grande-79912447.html. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  5. ^ Elizabeth Erwin (December 22, 2009). "DPS: Dust Storm Triggers Crashes, Deaths". KPHO. http://www.kpho.com/news/22036424/detail.html. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  6. ^ Jared Dillingham (December 24, 2009). "Lone survivor of deadly pileup near Casa Grande still in ICU". Arizona Family. http://www.azfamily.com/home/3TV-talks-to-family-of-lone-survivor-of-deadly-I-10-pileup-80036062.html. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  7. ^ a b Jared Dillingham (December 24, 2009). "Siblings killed in fiery crash on I-10 near Casa Grande". Arizona Family. http://www.azfamily.com/home/Siblings-killed-in-fiery-crash-caused-by-dust-storm-on-I-10-79955812.html. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  8. ^ AccuWeather (December 23, 2009). "Storm on the way already claims 3 lives". The Star Tribune. http://www.webcitation.org/5uVcvkJK0. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  9. ^ Staff Writer (December 23, 2009). "I-10 reopened, victims identified in fatal accident". KVOA. http://www.kvoa.com/news/i-10-reopened-victims-identified-in-fatal-accident/. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  10. ^ "Mark and Katie Eide Memorial". Homestead. 2009. http://eidefamily.homestead.com/. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 

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