11 injured in 90-vehicle pileup on I-35 near Huxley

About a dozen people were injured Saturday morning in a pileup involving more than 90 vehicles on Interstate Highway 35 near Huxley, police said. 

The collision began at about 10:15 a.m. when a car spun out of control and hit a cable barrier, causing a chain reaction of other vehicles, including semi trucks. Authorities said some vehicles were traveling too quickly for the slick road conditions. 

The northbound and southbound lanes of the interstate reopened more than two hours later. The crashes occurred near the 100 mile marker near exit 102, police said.

Of the 11 people injured, one was flown to a hospital via helicopter with non-life-threatening injuries, said Sgt. Nathan Ludwig, spokesman for the Iowa State Patrol.

Winter weather caused slippery roads and low visibility as snow moved across the state Saturday, causing hazardous road conditions. "People drive on the interstate and get too relaxed," Ludwig said. "They don't look down the road."

A Des Moines school bus was caught in the middle of in the pileup, although it did not collide with other vehicles. No students were on board, Ludwig said. The bus ended up being used to help transport people at the scene, he said. Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority buses were also on scene to transport people.

Tow trucks and law enforcement used a nearby rest stop as a staging area to respond to the crash, Ludwig said. Iowa State Patrol, Polk County Sheriff's Office, Story County Sheriff's Office and personnel from surrounding towns were on scene to assist.

"I can't begin to mention the number of EMS and fire personnel that came from small surrounding towns to assist," Ludwig said.

The crash occurred just 12 miles south of where a deadly 50-car pileup killed one person and left several others injured Feb. 5. That day, nine people were killed and a dozen others were injured across the state in crashes that damaged at least 150 vehicles. 

"Bottom line, this is Iowa winter," Ludwig said. "People need to adjust to this in the roadway."

In a separate incident Saturday on Interstate 80 at about at 11 a.m., several small crashes involving 20 vehicles blocked parts of the highway, police said.

The road was blocked between U.S. 6 and County Road S27 near Colfax, causing a nearly 30-minute delay westbound. Several injuries were reported, though no one has died, authorities said. 

The road was cleared by 12:30 p.m., the Jasper County Sheriff's Office said. 

In another crash, three people suffered minor injuries after a 30-vehicle collision on I-80 in Iowa County. The highway's eastbound lanes were closed for less than an hour, the State Patrol said. 

The crashes from Saturday remain under investigation.