1 Dead After Pileup Involving 5 Cars And Semi, I-35W Shut Down For Hours
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - One person is dead after an early morning pileup on Interstate-35W in Fort Worth that involved five vehicles and an 18-wheeler.
All of the southbound lanes of the highway at Seminary were shut down for most of the day. The lanes reopened late in the afternoon.
The crash happened just after 5:00 a.m. and left the semi, owned by Lisanti Foodservice of Texas, overturned on top of several cars.
One of the accident victims described how the crash may have started.
"I believed I got swiped. I wasn't even sure from what side, just knocked me a little senseless," said Jacob Jehring.
Jehring said the impact turned his vehicle around, which made him face oncoming traffic.
"I tried to start my car and saw vehicles already coming. I was hoping my lights and hazards would be on... that they'd be able to see that. After I tried starting it to no avail, I just immediately moved to the side of the road," said Jehring.
He also said he saw a pickup truck swerve around his vehicle, but he saw the 18-wheeler try to swerve. His car wasn't so lucky this time -- but he was.
"I'm glad because then that 18-wheeler, as much as he tried to get out of the way, just took the whole front end off," said Jehring.
It isn't known if the fatality was in the big rig or one of the passenger vehicles. However, police believe the driver of a PT Cruiser that was crushed by the 18-wheeler was the one death in the accident.
Officials with MedStar Mobile Healthcare say ambulance workers treated six people at the scene, but did not take any of them to the hospital.
Traffic backed up for miles during the morning rush hour. Going into the lunch hour the 18-wheeler and several of the cars involved in the crash were still at the scene and police said it would probably be several more hours before the roadway was cleared and the highway reopened.