High winds and low visibility appear to have contributed to a crash Friday afternoon involving 15 passenger vehicles and six commercial vehicles on Interstate 90 eastbound between 19 miles east of Billings to three miles west of Hardin. There are six confirmed deaths and several injured.
According to the Montana Department of Transportation incident map, the wrecks occurred about 4:50 p.m. causing the closure of both eastbound lanes in Bighorn County. Traffic was backed up for several miles according to reports. The MDT website said all eastbound traffic was being diverted onto Old Highway 87 at mile marker 484 into Hardin.
On the westbound side of the interstate, traffic was reduced to one lane at mile marker 494.
Montana Highway Patrol spokesperson Sergeant Jay Nelson told the Gazette, “We have a multi-vehicle, mass casualty incident three miles west of Hardin on I90.”
He added that multiple troopers were on the scene and additional resources were on their way as of 6 p.m. Reports from MDT said multiple emergency vehicles were on scene and drivers should use caution in the area.
The incident alert stated, “Use Caution — High Winds — Dust Storm — Very Low Visibility — Watch Out For Emergency Personnel And Multiple Vehicle Crashes.”
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