Two were killed in a multi-vehicle accident on I-35 earlier this morning when two racing vehicles and one intoxicated driver created a seven car collision. The details of the story are still being revealed by investigators, but so far it seems the accident began around 5 am when a speeding blue Chevy slammed into an 18-wheeler. The racing Chevy could have been going as fast as 100 mph when to dove underneath the 18-wheeler. The FOX 4 report says the Chevy broke in half and was engulfed in flames. The fiery accident sparked chaos on I-35 leading to additional accidents surrounding a red Cadillac, a silver Mustang, a green muscle car, an SUV and a pickup truck.
Half of the Blue Chevy, FOX 4 Photo
The details of the other crashes are unclear, but what we do know is that the deceased victims were in the red Cadillac. FOX reports that the Cadillac hit the retaining wall. All lanes on southbound I-35 at Illinois Avenue were closed as rescue responders and investigators processed the scene. The lane closures created bumper-to-bumper traffic for miles along I-35. Unfortunately, some drivers took reckless action to avoid the gridlock. Some vehicles, including a DART bus, were actually getting off the freeway using on-ramps at Clarendon Drive. Police had to post a sign at that entrance reminding cars not to go the wrong-way down an entrance ramp – no matter how bad traffic is.
At least two arrests have been made in connection with this morning’s wreck. A driver was arrested at the site of the accident for intoxication manslaughter and one of the driver’s passengers was also arrested due to an unrelated outstanding felony warrant.
It truly is a dangerous day to drive in Dallas – drunk drivers out at 5 am on a weekday, break-neck racing along a highway and all this in the early morning rain. When you live in a city this size with this many people on the road, one negligent driver can create a devastating chain-reaction that kills two and touches the lives of many.
Stay with the blog as further updates come in on the accident.
