The scene Monday on Highway 281 was a tangled mess of cars. It was the result of not one, but two accidents that slowed traffic for over an hour.
It involved seven cars, two accidents and ten minutes. It all happened Monday just as the lunch hour hit.
The first call came in right before noon, alerting officials to a three car pile-up near Highway 281 and 13th Street.
"I heard a bunch of sirens," Akazzia Holmen said. She works nearby and saw the clean-up. "I looked out the back door and saw the big mess."
The next wreck came just minutes later.
"There was another four car pile-up down at the intersection of Faidley and 281," Grand Island Fire Department Captain Todd Morgan said.
The combination of the two caused quite a problem for drivers.
"It was backed up clear to the next lights down the streets," Holmen said.
Morgan said it was an issue that was compounded by interested passersby.
"We get a lot of people that do want to drive by," he said. "They do want to see what's going on and then they don't pay near as much attention to driving as they should."
Police said the cause of the second accident was likely inattention heightened by high volumes of backed up traffic.
It is something that can not only cause accidents, but also threaten those trying to respond.
"This puts us in danger and it puts police in danger because its a high traffic area on 281," Morgan said.
He had some advice for drivers near accident situations.
"Just slow down and take your time," he said.
Police said some drivers and passengers were transported to the hospital, but none with serious injuries. All were treated and released.
Parts of Highway 281 were shut down as responders cleaned up the accidents. All lanes have been reopened as of Monday afternoon.
