ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. (WGNO) — "It was like a war zone," said a victim in the 168-car crash.

"The people were screaming everywhere. People running, hollering, trying to bust people out of cars. It was something I never imagined I would see in my life. It was like something you would see in a movie," said Dominick Loya.

April Lenoir and her husband, Jason Kirker, are teachers. They were heading to work on the morning of the crash. Their car was located at the front of the massive pileup.

"Because there was so much noise, the explosions kept popping over and over again it was really scary, but it was also really eerie," Lenoir said.

After the couple heard what sounded like exploding metal, they got out of the car immediately, where they became stranded on the interstate for roughly four hours.

"I think all of us were just in shock at how much noise the explosions were making," Lenoir said.

"And you couldn't see. The visibility was so minimal," Kirker said.

"The fire that happened right behind our vehicle at the front of the accident was probably no more than 50 yards away and we couldn't see the flames for a long time, until it really started going. It was surreal to be that close to something like that and not be able to see."

Many of the victims involved are spending their time recovering from that tragic event, hugging their loved ones a little tighter and feeling lucky to be alive.

"I wish I could have helped more people, but the people that did get help," Loya said. "There was those some pretty brave people out there that did help them."

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