More than 2 dozen people were injured in a massive traffic pileup amid snowy conditions in southern Wisconsin on Friday that left Interstate 39/90 blocked for hours, authorities said.
The crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. local time in Rock County between Janesville and Beloit, the Wisconsin State Patrol said in a statement posted on its Facebook page. Troopers arrived to find the interstate blocked in both directions.
Beloit Health System, a medical center located in Beloit, Wisconsin, confirmed in an email to CBS News that it was treating approximately 27 patients from the accident. No details were provided on the patients’ conditions.
“We continue to work with local and county EMS but have been notified we will not receive any more patients,” Beloit spokesperson Tami Scarpetta said.
State Patrol officials said snow, ice and whiteout conditions were factors in the crash. As of 6 a.m. Friday, the Beloit area had seen 2.2 inches of snow over the last 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
Troopers diverted traffic onto side roads. WIFR-TV posted live video of the scene just before 4 p.m. showing semitrailers backed up as emergency workers walked around them.
The State Patrol said in a separate statement that another multi-vehicle crash around 1:30 p.m. Friday blocked northbound Interstate 41 in Kenosha County near the Wisconsin-Illinois border. Snow, ice and white conditions factored into that crash as well, according to the State Patrol.
Most of southern Wisconsin remained under a winter weather advisory Friday afternoon with more snow expected on Saturday.
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