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POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho State Police are investigating a multi-vehicle collision that occurred on Monday at approximately 8 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 86, west of Pocatello.
A thick layer of fog covered the interstate causing limited visibility in a short amount of time near the Pocatello Regional Airport. Due to the fog, vehicles slowed down suddenly. Commercial and personal vehicles collided with one another, causing a chain reaction of approximately 30 vehicles.
Despite the magnitude, officials said nobody was killed. A few people were taken to the hospital by ambulance or personal vehicles with minor injuries, according to an Idaho State Police news release.
"Thank goodness. We deal with a lot of deaths out here, so it's nice when we go to a crash this big to have no fatalities," Idaho State Police Lt. Michael Winans said.
Interstate 86 was blocked for approximately seven hours to allow emergency personnel and tow trucks to assist those involved and clear the scene.
A number of cars and trucks appeared to be destroyed. For most of the day, eastbound traffic on I-86 was diverted off the freeway on East County Road.
Idaho State Police determined fog and decreased visibility were major contributing factors in the crash.
"Motorists should be aware that we have banks of fog rolling in and they need to drive according to the conditions," Winans said.
This incident remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police.
Winans also asked people driving through the area to focus on the road and not pull their phones out to take photos or videos of the scene.
