• 1 dead, 33 injured in Long Island Expressway pileup

    View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

    By NBCNewYork.com and wire reports

    SHIRLEY, N.Y. -- A tractor-trailer hauling debris from superstorm Sandy triggered a deadly 35-vehicle pileup on the Long Island Expressway in New York on Wednesday afternoon, police said. 

    The truck struck several cars near exit 68 in the town of Shirley, which is located about 70 miles east of New York City. 

    The collision set off a chain-reaction crash that left the tractor-trailer and two additional vehicles ablaze. A 68-year-old woman driving a Toyota Camry was killed, police said. An additional 33 people were injured, including a 57-year-old man who is in serious condition.

    A car involved in the initial collision with the tractor-trailer was incinerated beyond recognition, with its tires punctured and paint burned off its body. Some SUVs and cars suffered extensive damage while others appeared to have barely a scratch; all were haphazardly stopped across the highway, which is up to six lanes in parts.

    'It sounded like thunder'
    One driver described the crash unfolding next to him while he was on the freeway.

    "All we heard was crashing behind us, it sounded like thunder," said Jimmy Batjley. "Looking back, all I saw was glass and metal, and they went right past us, at least 40 miles per hour." 


    "If you can imagine all the cars were lined up, and [the tractor-trailer] just came right in and just pushed that entire line," said Batjley. He said the tractor-trailer driver was pulled out before the truck burst into flames. 

    Full Sandy coverage from NBC News

    Aerial footage provided by News12 Long Island showed the trailer partly incinerated at dusk, alongside at least two cars that appeared to be blackened and burned. Multiple other vehicles, including a box truck, were scattered nearby, apparently having collided into one another or the guardrail.

    The tractor-trailer was driven by 42-year-old Raymond Simoneau of Rockingham, Vt. Police told The Associated Press that Simoneau wasn't injured.

    More news from NBCNewYork.com

    The tractor-trailer and several of the vehicles involved in the crash were impounded for safety checks.

    Five fire departments responded to the scene as well as 19 Emergency Medical Services agencies, police said.

    The weather was clear at the time of the crash, according to Reuters.

    "Anybody rolling up on this scene you would think there would be definitely more than just one fatality," said John Mirando, chief of the Ridge Fire Department. "It's just lucky that it's only one, but it could have been a lot worse."

    NBCNewYork.com, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

  • 800 homes hit in Dallas area during 'very unusual' tornado season

    Massive tornadoes ripped through the Dallas-Fort Worth area Tuesday, sending 18-wheelers into the air and damaging about 650 homes. NBC's Lester Holt reports.

    By Miguel Llanos, NBC News

    As experts assessed reports that up to 18 tornadoes hit the Dallas area on Tuesday, the cleanup and rebuilding began Wednesday for -thousands of residents from the more than 800 homes destroyed or damaged.


    Among the hardest cities hit were the Dallas suburbs of Arlington, where more than 400 homes were damaged, and Lancaster, where some 300 structures were damaged and 10 people were injured, two seriously, according to NBCDFW.com. 

    The National Weather Service was investigating reports that up to 18 tornadoes touched down during a relatively short time frame.

    "We're at just the beginning of a very unusual" tornado season, NBC weather anchor Al Roker said on TODAY. April 2011 saw a record 758 tornadoes, he added, "hopefully we're not on track for that this year."

    Weather.com meteorologist Greg Forbes told TODAY that the season is already "running about 50 percent above average for the number of tornadoes."

    "We've had record heat," he added, and "that warmth is a big ingredient that provides the instability for the storms."

    On Tuesday, one twister was seen on video tossing semi-trailers from an operations yard into the air with ease. Schneider National, the trucking company that owns the yard, said Wednesday that no one was hurt but that dozens of trailers were destroyed or damaged.

    Mom recounts saving daughters from 'terrifying' tornado
    Videos show flying semi-trailers, golf ball-sized hail
    Flights still disrupted at DFW airport

    Despite the intensity of the slow-moving storms, no fatalities were reported.

    In Arlington, a twister tore through part of a nursing home, injuring two residents.

    "The windows were flying out, and my sister is paralyzed, so I had to get someone to help me get her in a wheelchair to get her out of the room," NBCDFW.com quoted Joy Johnston as saying. "It was terribly loud."

    Johnston said her 79-year-old sister, whom she was visiting, was taken to the hospital because of her delicate health.

    "The hallways were all jammed," Johnston said. "Everyone was trying to help each other to make a path for others. I'd say everybody was out of their rooms within 20 minutes."

    Lisa Rebstock, who hid in her bathroom with her two young daughters when a tornado ripped through their Texas home Tuesday, tell TODAY's Ann Curry it was the "most terrifying thing" she's ever been through.

    The storm system moved into the Southeast on Wednesday and the weather.com published a map showing the danger area for thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes there.

    The danger zone stretched from the Texas coast and parts of East Texas to northern Florida, and from Kansas to Virginia.

    Slideshow: Tornadoes rip through Dallas area

    Larry W. Smith / EPA

    Launch slideshow

    The greatest chances of a severe storm Wednesday were in Nashville, Memphis, Jackson, Mobile and Lake Charles.

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

    Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

  • Amtrak train en route to Dallas hits 18-wheeler

    By KXAN.com

    AUSTIN --  An Amtrak passenger train hit a home mover's box truck transporting at least one car in Hutto , near the intersection of State Highway 130 and State Highway 79, just before 10 a.m. Sunday morning.

    Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm said the train was the Texas Eagle , en route from San Antonio to Chicago. A total of 211 passengers were on board the train, which was making its way from Austin to Dallas at the time of the accident. An additional 14 Amtrak employees were on board the train.

    Michael Knight of the Department of Public Safety said the engineer attempted to blow its whistle as it approached the crossing, where an 18-wheeler transporting a car was on the tracks. The driver of the 18-wheeler was ejected and is in critical condition at Williamson Seton Hospital. His name has not been released.

    Read the original story on KXAN.com

    "Out of nowhere, just pow," explained passenger Bailey Roberts who was on his way to Dallas.  "Then, I saw a body through the window."

    Two additional passengers on the train complained of minor injuries but refused treatment. DPS also reported a minor diesel fuel spill occurred when the 18-wheeler was hit.

    "We didn't go into panic or disarray," said passenger  Tabitha Tower. "But, the fumes from the diesel, it was just a lot."

    Passengers on the train were being evacuated, taken by five Hutto ISD school buses to Hutto Baptist Church. From there, Amtrak will arrange alternate transportation, Kulm said. Amtrak will spend this afternoon clearing the scene and repositioning the train on the tracks.

    Local law enforcement will be conducting the investigation of the accident. The Federal Railroad Administration may or may not choose to initiate an investigation into the accident. Both Amtrak and Union Pacific, which owns the track, will be required to file paperwork with federal authorities.

    More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: