Thanksgiving tragedy: Two dead and more than 120 injured in massive pileup involving over 100 vehicles on foggy Texas interstate

The incident happened this morning at 8am near Beaumont
Dense fog blanketing a section of the interstate made conditions treacherous for drivers heading to Thanksgiving holiday feasts
The pile-up left trucks twisted on top of each other
More than 50 people have been rushed to hospital
Cops didn't immediately realize they were dealing with multiple accidents because the fog was so thick

PUBLISHED: 15:19 EST, 22 November 2012 | UPDATED: 03:59 EST, 23 November 2012

A couple was killed and at least 80 people were injured Thursday in a massive car pileup involving at least 140 vehicles, which left trucks and family SUVs twisted on top of each other and authorities rushing to pull survivors from two miles of wreckage along a busy Texas highway.

Debra Leggio, 60 and her husband, Vincent Leggio, 64, were killed when their 2007 Chevrolet SUV was struck by an 18-wheeler, according to authorities. The Leggios were grandparents and residents of Pearland, Texas, where Vincent worked as an electrician.

The first in the series of collisions happened around 9 a.m. on Interstate 10 southwest of Beaumont, a Gulf Coast city about 80 miles east of Houston, as hundreds of drivers were heading to Thanksgiving holiday feasts.

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Cars and trucks are piled on Interstate 10 in Southeast Texas after a fog-related accident on Thanksgiving Day

Lucky escape: A family walks away from the massive pile-up accident on Interstate 10 in Southeast Texas

Mess of vehicles: The pileup in the eastbound lane of Interstate 10 near Beaumont shut down the highway in both directions

Emergency workers carry a victim across Interstate 10 after the massive auto accident that has killed two and injured more than 50 people

A dense cloud of fog blanketing a section of the Texas interstate made it impossible for drivers to see the crash ahead of them, so other vehicles careened into the pileup and the devastation quickly multiplied.

Officials at Acadian Ambulance service said more than 50 people had been taken to area hospitals in Beaumont, Port Arthur and Winnie. At least eight are critically hurt. The most seriously injured were being transported to Houston, about 75 miles away.

Multiple ambulance crews responded and transported patients to area hospitals.

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Baptist Beaumont Hospital spokeswoman Mary Poole told KFDM News they had received at least 21 patients. One was in critical condition. The hospital transported two children and one adult with head injuries to a Houston hospital.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Deputy Rod Carroll said the fog was so thick that deputies didn't immediately realize they were dealing with multiple accidents.

The westbound lane of the interstate has been reopened, he said.

'We have 18-wheelers on top of cars, we have cars on top of cars. It's just catastrophic,' he said, adding that rescuers were still looking for victims.

He said the initial accidents took place separately about a mile apart on the east- and westbound sides of the interstate.

The highway had been crowded with motorists traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday. Many of the vehicles were moving close to the posted speed of 70 mph despite dense fog that limited visibility, Carroll said.

Chief Charles Sonnier of the Labelle-Fannett Volunteer Fire Department told KFDM News the vehicles involved in the accidents include seven tractor trailers that collided on the eastbound side.

Two were carrying hazardous materials, but they aren't leaking, according to Sonnier.

Video footage of the crash shows badly mangled vehicles atop one another

Traffic backs up on the east bound lane of Interstate 10 after the multi-vehicle accident

Vehicles involved in the crash include cars, minivans, pickups, tractor-trailer trucks and at least one FedEx truck

The crash involved cars, minivans, pickups, tractor-trailer trucks and several FedEx trucks

Cars and Trucks are piled on Interstate 10 in Southeast Texas

Cars and trucks are piled up on Interstate 10 in Southeast Texas following this morning's crash

Sonnier added that firefighters had to use the jaws of life to cut people out of a car and pickup truck.

I-10's eastbound lanes were expected to remain closed for most of Thursday.

Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Stephanie Davis told KFDM that two people in an SUV died after the crash. She said at least 100 cars and trucks were involved in the accident.

Carroll said uninjured drivers tried to help as authorities sorted through the wreckage.

'It's just people helping people,' Carroll said. 'The foremost thing in this holiday season is how other travelers were helping us when we were overwhelmed, sitting and holding, putting pressure on people that were injured.'

Video footage of the crash shows badly mangled vehicles atop one another and people who appeared to be injured stretched out in grass alongside the highway and on ambulance gurneys.

Long lines of cars, each battered and some appearing to be totaled, lined the roadway. The vehicles included cars, minivans, pickups, tractor-trailer trucks and several FedEx trucks.

Emergency personnel on the scene of a pileup of 80 to 100 vehicles on a foggy Texas interstate near Beaumont

Emergency personnel on the scene of a pileup of more than 100 vehicles on a foggy Texas interstate near Beaumont

Foggy weather has been blamed for the pileup on a Texas interstate

Dense fog has been blamed for the pileup on a Texas interstate

Emergency personnel working on the scene of a massive auto pileup of 80 to 100 vehicles

Emergency personnel working on the scene of a massive auto pileup of more than 100 vehicles

An emergency worker walks past a pile of cars from the accident in Southeast Texas

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umm, it doesn't look foggy to me? All the same, a tragic accident- my thoughts are with those affected.

- lizi105 , Cambridge, United Kingdom, 23/11/2012 13:45

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Finally, roundabouts are an enigma - nobody ever indicates. - Ivor Grudge , Utopia, United Kingdom, 23/11/2012 11:34 WHAT roundabouts? I lived in America for 45 years, I never saw a roundabout in my LIFE until I came to Europe. Your story of 'extensive driving' in the USA is obviously a lie. USA doesnt use roundabouts. Looks like way too many lorries on the roads there? You would think that freight trains might be the way forward? - david, malaga, 23/11/2012 4:42 Freight trains are already used extensively,distribution of products uses many methods. America is huge in square miles, trucks, trains and even barges are used on a daily basis. There is NO WAY to lower truck service. People blaming 'Americans' & their driving or cell phone use, take a look in the mirror. Cell phone idiots are everywhere. To the person talking of Orlando, Florida driving-what has that area got to do with the entire several thousand square mile land mass called the USA?

- BunnyOlesen , Linköping, 23/11/2012 13:29

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Actually, undertaking or passing on the right is illegal in most states...not sure about Texas. I know in Florida you get a lot of folk who will happily sit in the left hand lane at 10 mph or more under the posted speed limit and pretty much force everyone else to undertake them, assuming that you actually can. Despite the use of mobile phones while driving being an offence in the US as it is throughout most of Europe, there does seem to be almost total disregard of the legislation. It's very much a case of 'My car, my rules, I will do what I please.' My husband has driven in many states and says in his experience, Texas has some of the worst drivers in the US. I thought Florida was pretty bad, myself....

- Toodlepippers , Back end of nowhere, 23/11/2012 13:05

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Driving in America - well Florida at least - is scary. Seen people making breakfast on the centre console of their huge cars holding wheel with their knees.Reading a newspaper/book on steering wheel. Talking on the mobile continuously [no law against this in Florida and many other US States]. Shaving with a razor and bowl of water! No lane discipline AT ALL: drive in any lane you like, at any speed you like, up to the speed limit. In other words, no awareness of one's surrounds, trapped in one's own little bubble, moving along distracted by whatever takes one's fancy. Daydreaming, whatever. Then it rains. Result: multiple pile-ups. No really, one every 10 to 20 miles between Orlando and Tampa.

- Ex NHS Surgeon , London, 23/11/2012 13:02

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High time they brought in the early warning systems in the cars like the TCAS in aircrafts

- iypegeorge , Newdelhi, 23/11/2012 12:43

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- ONSLOW1066, LONDON, United States, 23/11/2012 6:20 . In case you have forgotten..........the same thing has happened in the UK more than once..............

- Abzlass , Aberdeen, 23/11/2012 12:35

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Terrible tragedy and amazing to see a large lorry getting ripped apart so easily. Surely they won,t have been going that fast if it was so foggy. So much grief for many families at this time of thanksgiving.

- andreas2010 , hull, United Kingdom, 23/11/2012 12:24

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It's no surprise seeing this happen having experienced extensive US driving. Concentration is not a strong point with large numbers of drivers using their Cellnet phones, lane discipline is poor, indicating is often disregarded, the use of interstate slip roads can be a nightmare as so many seem unable to adjust their speed and often just stop. Finally, roundabouts are an enigma - nobody ever indicates.

- Ivor Grudge , Utopia, United Kingdom, 23/11/2012 11:34

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FED EX bin laden did it

- tom , midlands, 23/11/2012 11:18

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Looks like way too many lorries on the roads there? You would think that freight trains might be the way forward? - david, malaga, 23/11/2012 4:42~~~I don't know why you received so many red arrows, David; I think your assessment and recommendation make perfect sense. I refuse to drive the major highways when travelling and use the more scenic backroads whenever I can. There are no trucks on these roads, and the trip is much more enjoyable. And I most certainly would never travel a major highway on a holiday...in the fog...at 70 mph.

- Mimi , Syracuse NY, United States, 23/11/2012 11:13

Click to rate Rating 47

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