MANCHAC, La. — Editor's note: On Friday, Oct. 27, Louisiana State Police reduced the number of victims to seven fatalities rather than eight following a forensic investigation.
Seven people were killed, 63 injured and 168 vehicles were damaged in a series of at least three "crash clusters" on I-55 in an extremely dense fog that left visibility near zero Monday morning.
State Police gave the update on Tuesday evening around 5 p.m.
"As we saw earlier this morning, there was a tanker truck... part of the tanker truck caught fire. That tanker truck was carrying a hazardous material that is currently being offloaded. That started about 45 minutes ago. Once that tanker truck is offloaded, they will be able to get to further areas of the wreckage, and once we are able to get into that wreckage, there is a possibility of more confirmed fatalities," said Kate Stegall, a spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police.
Parts of I-55 are now open. However, the bridge near Manchac – between Ruddock and Akers – remains closed. Motorists must exit and take the low road or Louisiana Highway 51. According to LSP, a comprehensive structural inspection will take place once the bridge completely clear of debris, diesel, and other chemicals.
I-10 reopened around 3 p.m. as well. It had earlier been closed to allow emergency responders and tow trucks access to the wreck scene.
State Police said that one vehicle did go off the interstate and into the water below but that the driver was safely recovered. At least two vehicles caught on fire and some fire trucks, unable to access the elevated I-55, sprayed water from down below.
Bailey Scott, an ICU nurse, was on the way to the airport when a series of crashes occurred in front of her. She said it took first responders more than an hour to get to the scene due to the fog and the amount of damaged vehicles in the way.
She said she tried to help.
"There were people stuck in their cars... We saw a lot of concussions. People had broken arms and legs."
Social media videos and posts showed near-zero visibility in some areas and another image showed a major vehicle fire. The extremely low visibility was attributed to a phenomenon called Super Fog, which is a mixture of smoke and fog with visibility at or lower than 10 feet.
Gov. John Bel Edwards released a statement saying, “Please join me and Donna in praying for those hurt and killed in today’s tragic I-55 crash, as well as their families. The combination of wildfire smoke and dense fog is dangerous, and I want to encourage all Louisianans in affected areas to take extreme caution when traveling. I also want to thank the first responders and medical personnel who have worked so diligently to save lives and render aid. The best way you can help them, besides exercising caution on the road, is to donate blood at your local blood donation center. It will help replenish supplies that are being drained today to care for the wounded.”
VIDEO: State Police update on I-55 crash
"We don't know right now how many crashes were involved or how many vehicles were involved," Stegall in a midday briefing as investigators tried to piece together the sequence of events.
Stegall said that in addition to their own troopers, they received help from the St. John Parish Sheriff's Office, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and Kenner Police.
Dense fog along with a marsh fire created hazardous driving conditions Monday morning. The Causeway was closed in both directions for nearly two and a half hours during rush hour, causing many commuters to be late for work and some New Orleans school buses to say they were up to an hour late.
There were also visibility issues in New Orleans East, closest to the marsh fire.
On I-55, Scott and her father were trying an alternate route with the Causeway shut down. They were trying to make her flight. She didn't get there on time.
"I was like, alright dad we need to go the other way. So I can make my flight," Scott told WWL-TV describing the scenario she and her dad encountered en route from Mandeville to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. "You couldn't see 5-10 yards in front of you because of this fog, and then out of nowhere this big FedEx truck was in front of us. We had to swerve out of the way, like the brakes were screeching."
"I'm just glad that we're okay and I pray for the people that did get injured."
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.