Nearly 40 vehicles, including two Iowa State Patrol cars, were involved in a pileup as snow hit the state on Thursday afternoon, officials said.
The accident happened just before noon on the eastern lanes of Interstate 80 near Newton, about 35 miles east of Des Moines, according to the agency.
Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla said on Thursday that frozen roads and snow-like conditions caused the first wreckage and led to a chain reaction involving more vehicles.
“This is telling us that vehicles are traveling very fast for conditions and whenever an incident is happening in front of them, they are traveling very fast and cannot slow down in time,” said Dinkla, according to WHO, affiliated with NBC.
Iowa State Patrol soldiers were checking the accident victims when their patrol cars were destroyed. Photos and videos showed the vehicles crushed under a semi-trailer.
Although no soldiers were injured, there were some serious injuries and several minor injuries to others involved in the pileup. The authorities did not have an exact number on Friday morning and no other details were available immediately.
The pile-up left dozens of drivers stuck on the interstate behind the crash site. I-80 was closed for most of the day, but it reopened around 7:15 pm after state police, first responders, local police and tow operators removed the site.
The accident occurred shortly after the state Department of Transportation warned against travel amid a second winter storm in northern and central Iowa.
The National Weather Service issued a similar warning, warning of low visibility, frozen roads and snow accumulation in central and eastern Iowa.
On Thursday, state police responded to a total of 165 car accidents, 143 material damage, 285 driver assistance and 22 personal injuries, officials said.
