A series of crashes in the heavy fog of Kent, England have left dozens injured and more than 100 vehicles damaged on the A249 Sheppey crossing.
Out of the nearly 200 people that emergency medical response teams cared for on-site, 27 needed to be rushed to the hospital. Eight people were critically injured by the collisions
The pileup took place at about 7:15 local time, the BBC reported Thursday. The crossing was temporarily closed while officials dealt with the situation, but has now reopened as of 5:30 p.m. BST.
Firefighters reported having to pry five people from their crushed vehicles on the southbound roadway.
Witnesses at the scene of the worst accident Kent has seen in recent years said thick fog might have been to blame, for visibility was poor at the time of the crash-the crossing wasn't properly lit for the cloudy conditions, they stated.
Some claimed that for 10 minutes, cars steadily smashed into one another.
According to local news service Kent Online, one motorist said people were "driving like idiots," on the two-lane span, in spite of "appalling" conditions of heavy fog.
Driver Martin Stammers told the BBC that the scene of the accident was "horrendous." He said that he witnessed people smashed beneath trucks, pinned to the ground by debris and auto parts.
Stammers freed himself through a small gap between a car and the center divider. He then grabbed his son and flagged down approaching cars, warning them to slow down.
"Later, a woman came up to us sobbing saying, 'thank you, thank you, you saved my life,'" he stated.
Kent Police Chief Inspector Andry Reeves told BBC that he couldn't blame the fog as the cause for the crash at the moment, but did acknowledge that it might have been a factor.
"It was...very hazardous," he said. "It was described to me as a very thick fog and it was certainly low visibility at the time."
