Terrible traffic accident: 158 vehicles collided with each other and many died

At least seven people died after smoke and dense fog from swamp fires in southern Louisiana caused several major car crashes involving a total of 158 vehicles Monday morning, authorities said.

The accident occurred shortly after 7:00 p.m. on Saturday local time.

Twenty-five people were injured and the death toll could rise as first responders continue to clean up crash scenes and search for victims, Louisiana State Police said in a news release Monday night.

Governor John Bel Edwards appealed to blood donors. In images of the accident, vehicles were crushed, buried under each other and some burst into flames. While many people stood on the side of the road and watched the scene of the disaster in amazement, some waited for help in their cars.

Christopher Coll, 41, was one of the drivers involved in the accident.

“I was already braking and slowing down when an F-250 pulled up on top of my work trailer and took me for a ride,” Coll told the Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.

Coll said he could smell smoke as he heard calls for help from other drivers and the sounds of crashing cars and flat tires. He said he managed to kick open the passenger door to escape and helped other victims.