Dozens of people injured in 69-car pile-up on busy road

Two people are in critical condition with a further 11 sustaining serious injuries

A pile-up involving more than 60 cars on a major road in the US state of Virginia has injured dozens of people.

The crash happened just before 8am on Sunday on the westbound Interstate 64 route in York County near Williamsburg, state police said.

Sergeant Michelle Anaya added that while no fatalities were reported, it took crews several hours to clear the roadway and reopen all lanes of traffic.

Authorities do not yet know the cause of the crash, but fog and icy road conditions were contributing factors, sergeant Anaya said.

Photos from the scene showed a tangled mass of metal, with car bonnets crumpled, windows smashed and a red truck on top of another vehicle.

Ivan Levy said he and his wife were both headed to Williamsburg, where they work, in separate vehicles around the time of the crash.

Mr Levy told the Associated Press he started slowing his truck down and turned his hazard lights on when he saw thick fog.

“Next thing I know I see cars just start piling up on top of each other,” he said.

Mr Levy was able to stop in time but then got a call from his wife saying she had also been involved in the crash.

“It was just so scary,” said Alena Levy, who was evaluated at a hospital, but was not seriously injured.

Ivan Levy said he ran past cars to find his wife and help her out. They made their way back to his truck, and Ivan Levy said he then grabbed a medical kit and started checking on other victims because first responders had not arrived yet.

Sixty-nine vehicles were involved in the crash, and 51 people were treated or transported to hospitals, sergeant Anaya said, noting that those figures were constantly changing.

Among those hurt, two were listed in critical condition and 11 were in serious but not life-threatening conditions, said York County fire chief Stephen Kopczynski.

Associated Press