Five of the six victims of the massive pile-up on a highway in northern Texas were identified on Friday, when the freezing rain that contributed to the disaster fell in the south and mid-Atlantic, threatening weekend trips and commuting on Monday.
The Tarrant County medical examiner identified four of the five victims as from Texas: Tiffany Louann Gerred, 34, from Northlake; Aaron Luke Watson, 45, of Fort Worth; Christopher Ray Vardy, 49, from Boyd; and Michael Henry Wells, 47, of Justin. The fifth, William Darrell Williams, 54, was from Pahoa, Hawaii.
The exact cause of the 135-car pileup on Thursday at Interstate 35 in Fort Worth remained under investigation.
On Monday morning, passengers traveling south and west like Houston – extending north and east towards Shreveport, Louisiana, Nashville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and New York – may face similar conditions that led to the crash. Thursday in Fort Worth, according to forecasts.
Over the weekend, freezing rain can make driving dangerous in Richmond, Virginia, Washington, DC and Baltimore, although slightly higher temperatures and lighter rainfall on Monday morning may help to ease conditions in some these cities.
Transport officials in these regions hope to avoid a repeat of Thursday’s pileup in Fort Worth, where tractor trailers have destroyed cars.
“It was really cold outside, (I) skidded for about 30 meters or more, then hit the wall. Some semifinals came and sort of plowed in a lot of people, ”driver Blake Diebel told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. “I feel lucky and my head hurts, so let’s take a look.”
Diebel’s parents ran from Denton to the crime scene after hearing about the pileup, and his mother, Joni Diebel, jumped in the middle of the highway to hug her son.
“The worst feeling of helplessness of all time,” said Joni Diebel just before the exciting meeting on the road. “When he left this morning, I had a bad feeling. I don’t know why.”
Shamar Walters and Bianca Britton contributed.