A massive 75-car pileup killed three and sent more than 20 people to the hospital on Interstate 77 near the North Carolina, Virginia border. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
By Andrew Rafferty, Staff Writer, NBC News
Three people were killed and more that 20 injured in a massive series of pile-ups involving 95 cars on Interstate 77 near the Virginia and North Carolina state line Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.
The crashes began around 1 p.m. in the southbound lanes in Carroll County, Virginia, according to Virginia State Police. Excessive fog in the Fancy Gap Mountain area is being blamed for the massive accident.
A state police statement said that there were 17 separate crashes involving 95 vehicles within a one-mile span of the southbound lanes. Three people were killed and about 25 injured, the statement said.
Southbound and northbound lanes were closed for hours, but northbound lanes were reopened about 7 p.m., and it had been hoped that southbound lanes could be reopened about 9 p.m.
Motorists were encouraged to avoid the area. The state police said that overhead message boards had been warning motorists since 5:47 a.m. to slow because of the fog.
WXII via Reuters
Rescue workers look over the scene on I-77 where 95 vehicles were involved in an accident in Carroll County, Virginia near the North Carolina state line on Sunday.
This story was originally published on Sun Mar 31, 2013 4:29 PM EDT
