Three people were killed Thursday afternoon in a multiple-vehicle accident that shut down I-94 near Michigan City, Indiana authorities said.
Only one person remained pinned in to the wreckage as of 6:30 p.m., and firefighters are working to cut that person out of the vehicle, state police said.
"It’s just a mess out there right now,” LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan said.
The crash at mile marker 36 in LaPorte County involved at least 15 semi-trailer trucks and multiple other passenger vehicles, police said.
Twenty-three other people were hurt and taken to local hospitals, state police said.
Jill Nygren, a spokesperson for Franciscan St. Anthony Heath in Michigan City said they received seven patients from the accident as of 5 p.m.
Three of the patients were listed in critical condition and four others were listed as "walking wounded." The hospital is expecting more to arrive.
University of Indiana Health-LaPorte Hospital said they were preparing for 16 patients. The conditions of those patients were not immediately known.
Porter Regional Hospital in Valparaiso, Ind. said they were expecting two patients with "minor injuries."
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Cranes and wreckers were being brought in to lift the semis off vehicles. Ambulances from neighboring counties were dispatched, and all coroners from LaPorte County were on the scene.
Severe weather likely played a role in the crash.
Dixie Juchcinski, who talked to NBC 5 in stand-still traffic about four miles from the crash, said the accident occurred in white-out conditions.
"When we first came to a stop, it was a complete white out," Juchcinski said. "It was kind of a surprise to us because we could only see one or two cars in front of us."
As of 3:30 p.m. emergency crews were still trying to reach parts of the crash, where there were reports of people pinned in vehicles.
The expressway was closed east of mile marker 34, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.
COMPLETE I-94 MM 36.0 EB near US 421/ mile 36 All lanes closed 2 hours due to a crash
— INDOT TrafficWise (@TrafficWise) January 23, 2014
Check back for details on this developing story.
Photo Credit: NBCChicago.com