Ten people died and 18 were injured in a multiple vehicle accident early Sunday morning. Authorities confirmed that the visibility was severely limited at the time by fog and smoke. The accident occurred on the East Coast, but, thanks to lake-effect snow squalls, those of us in Michigan know the panic and confusion that come with poor visibility on the roads.

Sunday morning, some motorists were able to pull off the highway before they came upon lines of vehicles stopped in the fog. According to one survivor, traffic stopped suddenly and visibility was zero before the first crash.

A vehicle rammed the car next to him from behind, and he watched as it was crushed beneath the tractor trailer ahead of him. He and his passenger escaped their vehicle as more cars and trucks collided. Cars were crushed between and under the semis. Vehicles caught fire and exploded. By the time it ended, more than a dozen cars and six tractor trailers were destroyed or damaged.

The fire was so intense that one tractor trailer burned to its skeleton. Tires on all vehicles disintegrated; all that was left were the steel belts.

The smoke was from a brush fire nearby that had been burning for some time. Investigators suspect someone started the blaze deliberately. Firefighters have contained the fire, but 62 acres have been damaged so far. (No residential areas are involved.)

The debris was strewn over all six lanes of the highway for almost a mile. The road opened Sunday night, but closed again on Monday for investigators from the state police. The National Transportation Safety Board has not decided if it will become involved, though its investigators are also on the scene.

Source: Associated Press, "Cause sought for deadly Fla. highway pileup," Mike Schneider, Jan. 30, 2012