Black ice is nothing to play around with, as even the most skilled drivers can be caught off guard by its unpredictability. A prime example of this is what happened on one New Jersey highway this past Wednesday, where icy roads led to a series of two accidents that resulted in a 65-car pileup.
The first accident occurred on the westbound side of Route 36 at the Route 18 ramp. It happened a bit after 6 in the morning, which is a common time for black ice to form. Police arrived at the scene to find around 15 vehicles involved, several occupants of which needed to be taken to the hospital for treatment of their injuries.
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Multiple vehicle accident with injuries in the Eatontown/Tinton Falls area due to the weather. Please stay clear of the off ramp from Routes 18 to 36 East. EMS is on scene. @SheriffGolden cautions all to be aware of black ice. It’s dangerous and deceiving. pic.twitter.com/dUTguxV8qL
— Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office (@MonmouthSheriff) January 5, 2022
The second accident occurred barely 10 minutes later at the same ramp, this time on the eastbound side of the highway. It involved 50 vehicles, and again, multiple people were taken to the hospital for injuries. Additionally, during this second crash, there was a point at which diesel fuel was spilled onto the road, necessitating even more work on cleanup.
All in all, the massive pileup claimed 65 cars and kept 6 people in the hospital prompting Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden to issue a statement warning local residents of the dangers of black ice. “This was a major event due to severe icing conditions that caused slick and dangerous roads, which resulted in the pile up,” said Golden. “Pay close attention to black ice. It’s dangerous and deceiving.”
Even aside from this unbelievable pileup, ice storms sweeping the state early Wednesday morning resulted in 33 other accidents in a single town alone, let alone in the rest of the state.
