Cars piled up on snowy I-95 southbound, in Attleboro. Police said there were up to 100 vehicles involved over a 10 mile stretch.  (Globe Staff Photo / Tom Herde)

Multiple crashes close highway as fast-moving storm moves through area

By Associated Press, 3/6/03

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ATTLEBORO, Mass. -- A traffic pileup involving about 100 cars closed Interstate 95 southbound for hours on Thursday, as a fast-moving snowstorm caught the region by surprise and wreaked havoc on drivers.

The southbound lanes of the highway were closed between the Rhode Island border and Exit 5, near North Attleboro, a nearly 10-mile stretch, 100 vehicles were involved in spin-offs and crashes starting around 11:15 a.m., state police said.

About 40 cars were towed from the scene, Lt. Ronald Sieberg said.

The stretch of highway was closed until 4:30 p.m. Crashes were also reported on I-95 northbound, but those lanes remained open, according to state police.

About 40 people were injured, but Sieberg said most of the injuries were minor and none appeared life-threatening.

Authorities were unsure if an initial accident had been responsible for a "chain reaction" causing the other accidents.

The injured were taken to area hospitals, while others were transported to a staging point at the Assembly of God Church in South Attleboro. Cars were towed to that location so they could be retrieved by their owners, state police said.

The cause of the massive wreck is "still under investigation, but it was likely a mixture of poor visibility, a slippery road surface and people just not driving for the conditions," Sieberg said.

He said seatbelt use and slower speeds due to the weather were likely the reason there were not more serious injuries or fatalities.

The storm also caused delays at Logan Airport Thursday afternoon, with both departures and arrivals affected by the snow.

Authorities also responded to reports of multiple accidents involving between 30 to 40 vehicles on Route 3 near Kingston and more than 20 vehicles on Route 24 near I-495, Paine said.

The accident happened as a band of heavy, wet snow moved into the area.

"Roads are extremely slick out there with this," said Alan Dunham, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service at Taunton. "The roads had been warm over the last couple days, and it didn't get super cold and the temperature's been falling. That first snow melted, turned to ice, and now you've got snow on top, which makes for very bad conditions."

The National Weather Service in Taunton said southeastern Massachusetts was hardest-hit by the storm, with most towns reporting between 7 and 10 inches of snow. The highest total was Brockton, with 11.8 inches.

The storm forced cancelations across the area, including Hockey East quarterfinal playoff games in Boston and Providence, R.I. Those games, Merrimack at Boston College and Boston University at Providence, were rescheduled for Friday.