More than 12 vehicles damaged in Highway 125 crash in Sydney

More than a dozen vehicles had to be taken away by tow trucks after a series of pileups in "total whiteout conditions" Friday morning on Highway 125 in Sydney.

Cape Breton Regional Police and emergency responders were called to the scene of a seven-vehicle crash between exits 2 and 3 the King Street exit and theSeaviewDrive exit atLeitchesCreek Station.

Seven vehicles collided and nine other vehicles went off the road, police said.

'Sitting in a cloud'

Police say there were no serious injuries but some people were taken to hospital as a precaution.

North Sydney Fire Chief LloydMacIntoshsaid it is fortunate people only had"bumps, bruises and a few sprains."

Hesaid in his 31 years of service, he's never seen road conditions thisbad. Wind off a nearby lake whipped up the snow, creating a wall of white.

"The road was clear and the visibility was clear in front of you for a couple hundred feet, and it would turn instantly to zero. And I mean zero visibility. You were just sitting in a cloud or cotton batten. Just total whiteout conditions," he said.

"You literally couldn't see your hand in front of you. I've never seen it like that."

Many of the vehicleswere "severely damaged" as one after another plowed into the vehiclein front of them, he said.

Vehicles damaged

Getting to the scene was a challenge for first responders and some of their vehicles were also involved in collisions,MacIntosh said.

Thesection ofhighway was closed to traffic for several hours and reopened around 12 p.m.Police are advising people to drive with caution and stay off the roads if possible.

MacIntoshsaid during the closure, his crews went up and down the lines of traffic to provide reassurances to drivers.

Traffic backed up

Melanie Clarke was driving into Sydney to go to work around 8:30 a.m. when she came upon the crash.

She said there were a dozen vehicles ahead of her and she could barely see the scene.

"Roads were very slippery and there was zero visibility," she said from her vehicle.

At 10:30 a.m., she said the road remained backed up.

"There's still whiteout conditions. I'm not all that far from the North Sydney turn off but I cannot see the turnoff or the bridge area," she said.