A multiple-vehicle crash on a Chicago expressway,, which had been left icy by an overnight snowfall, led to a crash that involved dozens of cars and sent 14 people to hospitals Wednesday.
About 50 vehicles were involved in the 5 a.m. pileup along the Kennedy Expressway, the Chicago Fire Department said. Around 5:45 a.m. the department tweeted about the crash, which prompted Illinois State Police to close all of the expressway's southbound lanes near Chicago's North Avenue for about three hours. Though 32 people were evaluated for injuries, only 14 opted for hospital care.
Officials said that low traction along expressway was responsible for the collisions.
The National Weather Service said light snow had produced accumulations of less than a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) overnight as temperatures fell below freezing and state police were urging people to stay off local roadways.
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Snow fell across the region Wednesday morning as the Chicago area, northeast and north central Illinois and parts of northwest Indiana were under a winter weather advisory. It came as the weather service reported colder than usual temperatures across much of the central and eastern United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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