Interstate 93 south in the Derry, New Hampshire, area was temporarily shut down Friday morning due to dozens of accidents on the snow-covered highway. At least 15 people were injured, none seriously.
"It all started around 9:30," Windham Police Capt. Mike Caron said. "The snows came pretty quickly."
New Hampshire State Police said there were accidents on both I-93 south and north. Caron said there was one 10-car accident in Windham, with six injured, and a "much larger one" to the north in Londonderry. The southbound lanes were temporarily shut down but have since reopened.
"You couldn't really see anything," said Mark Dussault, who recorded video as he crept past the pileup. "The car in front of you - that's about it."
The Derry Fire Department said they received about 50 calls around 10:15 a.m. reporting a multiple car pileup with about 40 vehicles involved. The incident stretched southbound on I-93 from the Derry/Londonderry line into Windham and Salem.
About 20 cars were involved in the Derry/Londonderry pileup, and 15 people suffered minor injuries.
"All heck broke loose," said Russell Wood, who has about a dozen of the smashed-up vehicles at his lot in Pelham. "Every year or so, we see that up there."
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That crash shut down the southbound side of I-93 near Exit 4 for about two hours.
Windham Fire officials said approximately 15 patients in all were hospitalized. None of the injuries were considered life threatening.
Viewer video taken in Londonderry showed multiple cars off the road, some with damage.
A very quick and heavy snow squall hit the I-93 area from Salem to Manchester, New Hampshire Department of Transportation spokesman Dave Rodrigue said.
"I think it was the snow that initially caused some vehicles to lose control and then as people slowed in the snow, either due to accidents or the snow itself, people driving in into the near whiteout conditions just couldn't see the stopped traffic, and when they did it was too late to stop," Rodrigue said.
Numerous accidents were also reported in Massachusetts and Connecticut on Friday morning as a result of the icy road conditions.
About a half dozen accidents were reported on the North Shore of Massachusetts, and state police said roads are slick on Route 128 from Beverly to Gloucester due to ocean-effect snow. Motorists are urged to reduce speed and use caution.
Snow Causes Crashes in NH, Mass., Conn.
According to NBC Connecticut, a crash closed Interstate 84 east near Exit 50 around 5:45 a.m., snarling traffic in the Hartford area. The route has since been reopened. A jackknifed tractor trailer also shut down I-84 West in Danbury for a portion of the morning. State police also reported multiple single-vehicle crashes and spinouts due to slick roads.
Additional snow was expected in southern New England later Friday.
