Icy road conditions have already caused trouble for drivers, as a wave of arctic air heads for Texas. Thursday morning, five people were hospitalized after a twenty-six-vehicle pileup on State Highway 45 near Austin. The accident followed another major crash in Fort Worth where 133 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on I-35 that killed several and left dozens injured. The scene of the accident stretched nearly a mile, and according to Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes, it was unlike anything they had seen before. As inclement weather is expected to progress throughout the weekend, the National Weather Service cautioned that conditions would continue to deteriorate, with elevated roadways being the first to ice over. Motorists are urged to pay attention to quickly changing weather conditions and prepare for possible road closures.
This “arctic blast” could bring the first single-digit temperatures to Houston in over thirty years, and some are predicting the coldest February temperatures in seventy years. While it is too soon to know the extent of the freeze, one thing is certain: people should be attentive to driving conditions or not drive at all. The Texas Department of Transportation advised drivers to use caution when driving over bridges and overpasses, leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the one ahead of you, avoid using cruise control, and keep to the main roads to avoid driving on untreated roadways.
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in an automobile accident, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-396-3964 or toll free at 1-800-594-4884.