WWNO skyline header graphic
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local Newscast
Hear the latest from the WWNO/WRKF Newsroom.

Death toll lowered to 7 in Louisiana super fog highway crashes involving 160 vehicles

In this aerial photo, responders are seen near wreckage in the aftermath of a multi-vehicle pileup on I-55 in Manchac on Oct. 23, 2023.
Gerald Herbert
/
AP
In this aerial photo, responders are seen near wreckage in the aftermath of a multi-vehicle pileup on I-55 in Manchac on Oct. 23, 2023.

The death toll from last week's series of highway crashes blamed on a super fog of smoke from marsh fires mixed with dense fog has been lowered from eight to seven people, according to Louisiana State Police.

The Oct. 24 pileups involved about 160 vehicles on Interstate 55 near New Orleans.

"Due to the intense fire and the extensive wreckage, the initial investigation led Troopers to believe that there were a total of eight victims," state police said in a Friday news release.

The final number was lowered to seven after further forensic investigation involving the St. John the Baptist Parish Coroner's Office, the Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office, and the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services Laboratory.

The cars crashed after smoke spreading through the region from a marsh fire east of New Orleans combined with thick fog and reduced visibility on highways to near nothing. The National Weather Service dubbed it a super fog — fog enhanced by smoke from damp, smoldering organic material. It can lower visibility to less than 10 feet.

👋 Looks like you could use more news. Sign up for our newsletters.

* indicates required
New Orleans Public Radio News
New Orleans Public Radio Info