4 critically hurt, 50 to hospital in massive chain reaction wreck on Highway 73 near Port Arthur
A massive pile-up happened early this morning on Highway 73 near Port Arthur, Texas at around 5:45am this morning. Channel 11 is reporting that dozens of people were hurt and four people are critically injured in a collision that appears to have involved approximately 50 vehicles. Rod Carroll, a deputy with Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, said that two of the vehicles involved caught fire but fortunately nobody was killed. At least ten ambulances were dispatched to the scene and reportedly transported between 45 to 53 people to hospital. According to Deputy Carroll the collisions were the result of poor visibility on the highway due to a combination of fog and smoke from a fire that broke out at the McFaddin Wildlife Refuge earlier this week. Highway 73 was shut down in both directions due to the wreck.
Aside from the toll the injuries will take on those involved in the wreck, an accident of this scale has the makings of an insurance claim nightmare. With nearly 50 vehicles involved and poor visibility it will likely be very difficult to determine what vehicles collided, how and who is responsible for what person’s damages.
Four people were critically injured in a massive pile-up on Highway 73 on Thursday January 5, 2012
