About 70 vehicles slammed into the rear of a multi-car accident on an icy highway Sunday, causing a massive pileup that saw vehicles wedged underneath tractor-trailers and sending at least 35 to hospitals, according to Massachusetts State Police.
In this photo provided by the Massachusetts State Police via Twitter, law enforcement officers work at the scene of a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 290 caused by icy road conditions Sunday morning, Dec. 1, 2013, in downtown Worcester, Mass. (Image source: AP/Massachusetts State Police)
Two people were seriously injured, Sgt. Stephen Marsh told CNN.
The accidents occurred on icy Highway 290 in the predawn hours, Marsh added, and it created a 500-yard mess.
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Marsh said that as cars came over a rise, drivers saw the accidents and tried to brake but were caught up in the chain of collisions. Other motorists were able to see the trouble in time only after so many cars were piled up that they stretched out over the incline, he said.There were four commercial trucks and about 65 passenger vehicles involved. One of the cars that was rear-ended was a state trooper's cruiser, which was stopped at the site of one of the early crashes.
Marsh said some of the cars were wedged under the tractor-trailers that turned sideways, blocking the roadway.
In this photo provided by the Massachusetts State Police via Twitter, cars are underneath a tractor-trailer at the scene of a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 290 caused by icy road conditions Sunday morning, Dec. 1, 2013, in downtown Worcester, Mass. (Image source: AP/Massachusetts State Police)
The interstate, near Worcester, was closed for about five hours, CNN noted, adding that a bus was brought in to help transport some of the injured to hospitals.
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