1990 Interstate 75 fog disaster
1990 Interstate 75 fog disaster | |
---|---|
Multi-vehicle traffic collision | |
Cause | Loss of visibility due to sudden appearance of dense fog |
Statistics | |
Vehicles | 99 |
Deaths | 12 |
Injured | 42 |
The 1990 Interstate 75 fog disaster was a
Background
Date | Number of vehicles | Casualties |
---|---|---|
March 9, 1974[2] | 18 | 3 killed, 10 injured |
April 19, 1974[3] | 9 | 9 injured |
June 12, 1976[3] | 4 | None |
December 16, 1977[3] | 14 | 7 injured |
November 5, 1978[4] | 62 | 46 injured |
April 15, 1979[3] | 18 | 3 killed, 14 injured |
The stretch of I-75 where the collision occurred consists of an approximately 10-mile (16 km) section in
The section of I-75 where the crash occurred was first opened to traffic on December 24, 1973.[8] The first multi-vehicle collision during heavy fog on this section occurred on March 9, 1974.[2] This collision involved 18 vehicles, and resulted in 3 deaths and 10 injuries.[3] A total of five additional fog-related multi-vehicle collisions occurred along this stretch in the 1970s.[9] The largest of these collisions took place on November 5, 1978, on the Hiwassee River bridges.[9] This collision involved 62 vehicles, and resulted in 46 injuries.[4] The final multi-vehicle collision along this stretch before the 1990 collision occurred on April 15, 1979.[5] This collision involved 18 vehicles, and resulted in 3 deaths and 14 injuries. Both of these collisions were investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which concluded that the differing reactions of drivers to the fog were major contributors to the causes of both collisions.[3] Some also questioned if Bowater's nearby settling ponds were a factor in the formation of the fog that preceded these collisions. Bowater denied responsibility for any of the fog that led to these collisions, but reached an out-of-court settlement with family members of two of the victims of the 1979 crash.[10] As a result of the 1979 pileup, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) installed dual warning signs the following year which read "Extreme Dense Fog Area Next 5 Miles" along this stretch in each direction, which contained flashing lights that would activate if fog was detected.[9] The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) also began sending troopers to each end of the fog zone to ensure that motorists would slow down on foggy days.[5] The northbound sign's lights were reportedly not working on this day,[9] and the southbound sign's lights had been flashing continuously for the past three days, which was believed to have caused some motorists to ignore them.[5]
Collision and response
The collisions began on December 11, 1990, around 9:10 a.m.
Many of the vehicles involved in the collision were damaged or burned beyond recognition, while others received only minor damage.[7] Some of the injured received severe burns, and some of the victims' bodies were burned beyond recognition.[9] Most survivors and first responders reported having breathing problems due to smoke inhalation.[7] Some of the fires ignited by the crashes burned hot enough to damage the asphalt.[11][3]
The first 9-1-1 call was received by the Bradley County Sheriff's Office dispatcher at 9:14 a.m., and the first law enforcement officer arrived on the scene three minutes later as the collisions were still occurring.[7] He immediately radioed for back up and emergency medical services.[1] He also sent out a plea for the Interstate to be closed.[1] Within minutes, additional law enforcement and EMS personnel from multiple agencies arrived on the scene.[7] More than 200 rescue personnel, some from as far away as Chattanooga and Knoxville, eventually arrived on the scene.[7] Injured victims from the crash were taken to hospitals in nearby Cleveland and Athens, as well as in Chattanooga and Knoxville.[13] A team of investigators from the NTSB later arrived to investigate the cause of the disaster.[14]
Investigation
Multiple survivors described the fog as rapidly appearing, with one survivor stating "it was like somebody throwing a blanket across your windshield".[3] The fog was also described by witnesses as unusually thick, obscuring visibility to near zero.[7] One survivor stated that he stood underneath the SR 163 overpass and could not see the bridge above him.[3] Multiple witnesses reported either light fog or no fog at all prior to the collision.[15] Initial reports stated that at least 15 people were killed and more than 50 injured,[14][13][16] but investigators later determined that 12 people had been killed and 42 people treated for injuries.[7]
The NTSB report on the collision was released on September 28, 1992. It concluded that the probable cause of the collision was "drivers responding to the sudden loss of visibility by operating their vehicles at significantly varying speeds".
Due to the rapid appearance and thickness of the fog, many immediately suspected once again that the nearby Bowater paper mill and its settling ponds may have played a role in the fog's formation.
Aftermath
Bowater denied any responsibility for the fog that formed on the day of the collision, and instead claimed that dense fog had been a natural occurrence even before the plant had been constructed.[15] Bowater also accused the State of Tennessee of failing to implement necessary fog detection and warning equipment along that stretch of I-75.[15] They did, however, agree to an out-of-court settlement of $10 million (equivalent to $18.7 million in 2023[17]) with 44 victims and family members of victims in January 1994.[19] They also agreed to limit the usage of the 235-acre (95 ha) pond closest to the Interstate.[6]
Others echoed Bowater's criticism of TDOT for failing to implement a proper fog detection system after the accidents in the 1970s.
In popular culture
The collision was the subject of a 1997 Forensic Files episode titled "Killer Fog".[5] Dr. Lawrence Weiss' 2004 book Collision on I-75, published by the American Public Health Association, is about the collision and the events leading up to it.[24] A chapter about the event is included in the 2012 book Tennessee Tragedies: Natural, Technological, and Societal Disasters in the Volunteer State, written by former TEMA official Allen R. Coggins.[25] The first chapter in author Dewaine A. Speaks' 2019 book Historic Disasters of East Tennessee chronicles the event.[26]
References
- ^ WTVC-TV. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "3 Burn to Death In I-75 Pileup Of 16 Vehicles". The Tennessean. Nashville. March 10, 1974. p. 2-A. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Bregel, Emily (December 5, 2010). "Echoes from the Fog". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ a b "62 Cars Pile Up In Chain Crash On Foggy I-75". The Tennessean. Nashville. Associated Press. November 6, 1978. pp. 1, 14. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Forensic Files: Killer Fog (Season 2, Episode 3)". IMDB. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Bergel, Emily (December 5, 2010). "Fog-induced wreck prompted lawsuits". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9781467141895– via Google Books.
- ^ Hatcher, Bill (December 27, 1973). "Incomplete I-75 Open". Cleveland Daily Banner. p. 1.
- ^ a b c d e f George, Dan (December 10, 1991). "Investigators, Victims Still Seeking Answers to Tennessee Pileup". Associated Press. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "Report blames factory, state for I-75 pileup". The Tennessean. Nashville. Associated Press. August 26, 1992. p. 3-B. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j National Transportation Safety Board (September 28, 1992). Multiple-vehicle collisions and fire during limited visibility (fog) on Interstate 75 near Calhoun, Tennessee December 11, 1990 (PDF) (Report). Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Parker, Collins (December 11, 2015). "From The Archives: The I-75 Chain Collision Wreck". Chattanooga, Tennessee: WDEF-TV. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "15 Die In Pileup On Foggy Tennessee Highway". The Washington Post. December 12, 1990. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "15 Killed and Over 50 Hurt in Fog As 75 Vehicles Crash in Tennessee". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 12, 1990. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Ashdown, Kyle (January 13, 2018). "That Time A Paper Mill Was Blamed For A Massive Highway Crash". CarThrottle. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ "15 Die, 50 Hurt as Thick Fog Triggers 75-Vehicle Pileup". Los Angeles Times. December 12, 1990. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ "1981 study cited Calhoun mill". Kingsport Times-News. Associated Press. December 28, 1990. p. 3C. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Firm to Give $10 Million in Fog Pileup Lawsuits". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. January 23, 1994. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Lakin, Matt (October 28, 2012). "Fog in 1990 sparks Tennessee's deadliest car wreck". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Tennessee DOT Low Visibility Warning System". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "Fog warning system due next month". The Tennessean. Nashville. Associated Press. November 19, 1993. p. 3B. Retrieved January 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fog closes I-75 for 1st time since 99-car crash". Knoxville, Tennessee: WBIR-TV. December 16, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ Benjamin, Phil E. (August 13, 2004). "Collision on I-75". People's World. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ Kennedy, Mark (January 22, 2012). "Kennedy: Tragic moments in state's history". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ Swiger, Gwen (July 31, 2019). "Tragedies revisited in 'Historic Disasters of East Tennessee'". Cleveland Daily Banner. Retrieved June 3, 2020.