Crashes on I-80 Saturday involved more than 50 vehicles

More than 50 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes on I-80 on Saturday that caused a backup lasting several hours.

A Facebook post from the West Branch Fire Department states the department was working on and off the interstate from 9:42 a.m. Saturday to 6:30 p.m., responding to what has been classified as a “Mass Casualty Incident,” meaning the number of injured or affected people overwhelmed local emergency resources.

  Buy Photo

No one died as a result of the crashes, but several people were injured, with emergency crews triaging about 40 or 50 people during the almost 8-hour response.

The interstate was blocked from the 256 mile marker to the 262 mile marker while the West Branch Fire Department, West Branch Police Department, West Liberty Fire Department, Iowa City Fire Department, Iowa State Patrol, and Cedar County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the collisions. Ambulance services from Johnson County, West Liberty, Tipton, Durant, Wilton, and Bennett responded as well.

“We would like to thank all assisting agencies for their coordination and teamwork during this extended and complex response,” the West Branch Fire Department post reads.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com