Former Rare Staff
The Iowa Department of Transportation released footage showing the beginning of a large pile-up that occurred earlier in the week.
Videos by Rare
According to the Des Moines Register, the trouble began when vehicles succumbed to winter weather on I-35. Vehicles can be seen driving in difficult conditions just as vehicles begin to swerve off the road and into each other.
The damage continues to unfold as more vehicles attempt to drive through the area. Some scramble to get out of the way as cars continue to hit the pile-up.
“Today was very bad,” said Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig.
Eight people died as a result, with at least 10 being reported as injured. State authorities reportedly responded to over 150 accidents that day.
“I think it’s a wake-up call,” Ludwig said, via KCCI. “Part of us also said that this could be warning and something for motorists to see [that] this is what can happen when you’re going too fast on the interstate.”
Ludwig also addressed a part of the video that viewers might have missed. A few of the drivers who ended up in a ditch thought to leave their vehicles in an attempt to get away from the crash.
“You gotta think, if you’re going to be a betting person, it’d probably be safer to be in your car,” he said. “There are those cases that you’re going to be standing outside your car, but if you’re gonna get outside your car get as far away from the motoring public and traffic as you can.”
As ABC News reported, members of the “Dancing with the Stars: Live! Light Up The Night” tour were riding in a bus that was also involved in the crash.
A longer video of the crash can be viewed below.
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RELATED: Footage from a Missouri highway’s largest crash ever is a reminder to drive carefully in the winter
