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500 crashes across central Indiana from Friday freeze: 'Unlike anything we've seen'

More than 500 crashes predicted from icy roads
Icy conditions caused traffic issues across central Indiana, shutting down I-865 for hours
Posted at 12:27 AM, Dec 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-18 14:00:30-05

INDIANAPOLIS ? Icy road conditions caused more than 200 crashes, 30 injuries and one death in Indianapolis Friday night into Saturday morning in what emergency responders are saying is something they've never seen before.

Emergency crews encouraged drivers to stay home as several side streets and interstates were "impassable." Those conditions remain deteriorated as of Saturday morning.

The accident reports due to icy conditions started rolling in around 10:45 p.m., including several involving semi-trucks. At one point throughout the evening, emergency crews said they could not keep up with the amount of crashes in the area.

Several parts of I-465, I-65 and I-70 were shut down due to the high amount of crashes and slick conditions. In some spots cars slid off the road. In others, semis lay still, unable to gain traction to move up small inclines because of the icy conditions. Pileups happened easily as cars slid on the icy roads, even at slow speeds, unable to stop.

Some drivers reported being stranded at a standstill for up to 9 hours.

Dozens of vehicles were abandoned overnight, and tow trucks won't be able to clear them until conditions improve as temperatures warm throughout the day, which will extend traffic issues with limited access on the roads.

Check the latest traffic conditions by clicking the map below:

Responders were walking on foot to check vehicles to prevent more accidents.

Drivers described scenes that looked like "pinball" with cars bouncing off one another.

One person was killed on I-65 as part of the icy crashes, but few details were made available due to the heavy volume of issues.

Firefighters had to evacuate residents off of an overpass on I-465 after being stranded there for hours.

Multiple Travel Advisories were issued in central Indiana, with the worst coming in Hamilton, Henry and Hendricks counties, where a Travel Watch was issued.

RELATED| Check traffic in your area| Stranded motorists evacuated from I-465 overpass via a ladder | 1 killed in crash on icy I-65 | PHOTOS: Freezing rain causes hundreds of crashes, massive traffic jams| Multiple counties under Travel Advisories

Below is just a snapshot of some of the harrowing experiences for those stuck on Indianapolis roads:

Copyright 2016 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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