An 18-month-old baby died after a series of crashes on an icy Kentucky bridge as a brutal winter storm wrecks havoc across the country, leaving a trail of snow, ice and sleet as it moves east.

Seven crashes involving a total of 12 tractor-trailers and six cars took place within an hour Wednesday on the Tennessee River Bridge as winter storm Oaklee barrels through the US.

Oaklee continues to hamper travel by both air and road, moving from the Southern Plains through the Midwest before heading Northeast Friday, according to The Weather Channel.

The storm system is the second this week to shut down interstates, close schools and cause hundreds of flight cancellations.

The brutal winter weather started in the heartlands Wednesday, causing chaos from Central Texas all the way up to the Great Lakes. As a second storm began forming parts of central US received several feet of snow, ice and sleet.

As the week nears its end, the northeastern portion of the country should expect a significant amount of snow and freezing rain, according to AccuWeather forecasters.

Freezing rain and sleet are expected to hit the southern parts of that area including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Hudson Valley and the coastline of New England. Moving north, Americans should expect at least six inches of snow in parts of New York and into New England.

Some areas might even see a foot of snow. By Friday afternoon over 1,000 flights had been canceled in the US, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

Early Friday, Baltimore reported 0.15 inches of freezing rain, while 6 inches of snow was observed in the southern tier of New York state.

On Wednesday night over 400 crashes were reported in Missouri amid the chaotic winter weather. Those included 52 injuries and no fatalities.

The poor weather conditions also left two police officers in Texas injured after they were hit by an 18-wheeler, according to KXAS-TV. The officers were reportedly in separate vehicles responding to a crash on Interstate 35 when a semi-truck jackknifed and hit both police cars.

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