2 victims identified in a pile of 133 cars in Fort Worth that killed 6 people

This is a story in development and will be updated.

Two of the victims of Thursday’s Fort Worth crash involving more than 100 cars and killing at least six people have been identified.

Aaron Luke Watson, 45, and Tiffany Louann Gerred, 34, are among Thursday’s crash victims, according to the medical examiner’s office in Tarrant County.

Both died at 6:13 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. Their causes of death are pending.

Thursday’s buildup was the most staggering of the crashes that spilled ice-smooth roads through Dallas-Fort Worth all day long.

The crash, reported just after 6 a.m., occurred in the TEXPress lanes south of Interstate 35W, just north of downtown, Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis said.

Officials said 133 vehicles were involved, and the crash spanned half a mile between Northeast 28th Street and Northside Drive.

The crash closed all north lanes of I-35W, including toll lanes, on Thursday with traffic in both directions from Interstate 30 to Interstate 820, Fort Worth police said.

As of about 6:30 a.m. on Friday, the ramps of the northern loop Interstate 820 to I-35W southbound were still closed for accident investigation.

A total of 65 people were treated in regional hospitals on Thursday for injuries related to the crash, but that number is expected to rise as more people seek help, MedStar spokesman Matt Zavadsky said. None of the persons treated were children.

Zavadsky said a large number of people involved in the accident were health workers wearing scrubs and hospital badges.

Four Fort Worth police officers were hospitalized as a result of the wreckage, Chief Neil Noakes said. Three were on their way to work and one was injured while helping on the scene. All four have been released from the hospital.

Fewer accidents were reported across the region in the early hours of Friday morning. Many school districts in North Texas again chose to delay openings or move to online learning on Fridays due to bad weather.

COVID-19 vaccine hub operations

Dallas County: Judge Clay Jenkins of Dallas said The County Fair Park vaccination center is said to have limited opening hours on Fridays, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Thursday at 9 p.m., the county’s health department said in a tweet Friday that the center will only vaccinate people who need their second dose. Only people who would receive their second dose Monday through Thursday will be served at the center, the province said.

People who were due to receive their second dose on Friday will be rejected if they hit the site today, the province said. Weather permitting, the province said it would reopen Sunday to vaccinate people who would receive their second dose on Friday.

Tarrant County: Tarrant County Public Health said in a tweet Wednesday evening that vaccination clinics will be open Friday to people with scheduled appointments. COVID-19 test sites are closed Friday through Monday.

Collin CountyThe vaccination appointments originally scheduled for Friday at John Clark Stadium in Plano are to be moved, the county said. Affected patients will be contacted by Curative Medical Associates. Collin County government offices have a delayed 10.00 am opening Friday.

Denton County: The province said in a tweet Tuesday that the county vaccination clinic at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth would be open Friday by appointment only from noon to 4:30 pm. People originally scheduled for vaccination on Thursday had their appointments moved to Friday, the province said.

Parkland Health & Hospital System: The vaccination sites at Ellis Davis Field House and Eastfield Community College in Mesquite would be closed Thursday through Monday, said the hospitalPeople with appointments for those locations had to go to Parkland Memorial Hospital at the scheduled time, and anyone who couldn’t make it had to be contacted by Parkland.

Test sites at Sam Tasby Middle School in Dallas, Irving Health Center and West Dallas Multipurpose Center remained closed Thursday through Monday, Parkland said.

Future prediction

North Texans will likely get a break from dangerous weather for a few days, but they could soon be struggling again in slippery conditions. A round of snow can come late Sunday to Monday, and the highs in those days are not expected to come from the 1920s, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service issued a winter storm on Thursday afternoon for all of North Texas, including Dallas, Denton, Collin and Tarrant counties. The watch runs late from Saturday to Monday afternoon.

“Travel becomes nearly impossible and can become life-threatening,” the Weather Service warned during a winter storm, adding that “near blizzards” are possible with heavy, drifting snow.

How much snow the area could have remains unclear, although some forecast models point to 3- to 7-inch accumulations, with higher totals further north, said weather service meteorologist Juan Hernandez.

“In addition to the snow, wind speeds in excess of 25-30 mph can lead to blizzards on the border during the early hours of Monday morning,” he said in a forecast update. “Traveling during this time is strongly discouraged as snow that falls will cling to any surface given the cold temperatures.”