Traffic was backed up on both sides of the Bay Bridge this afternoon in the aftermath of a three-vehicle crash that sent a tractor-trailer truck hurtling into the waters of the Chesapeake early this morning.
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The crash, shortly before 4 a.m., left the truck’s driver dead and two people from a passenger vehicle hospitalized with injuries, officials said.
Mountaire Farms, a poultry processing company based in Selbyville, Del., owns the truck, according to company spokesman Roger Marino. He said he did not know the driver’s name or what the truck was hauling.
“It is a tragic loss for the Mountaire family, because it is a close-knit company. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” he said. “We will be assisting the authorities as we wait for more information.”
The 18-wheeler, which fell about 30 to 40 feet, was upright and its top was visible in about 10 feet of water in the Chesapeake Bay.
State engineers were headed to inspect the bridge for structural integrity and safety, said Corporal Jonathan Green of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. The bridge, which is part of US 50/301, includes two spans — a newer three-lane bridge, and an older, two-lane bridge.
Late this morning, all traffic was being routed to the newer, three-lane bridge, and delays stretched for several miles in both directions. Eastbound, traffic was snarled for eight miles, starting at the Severn River, Green said. Westbound, delays stretched about six miles, starting at exit 39.
Officials did not know how the crash happened, but the tractor-trailer’s plunge into the water damaged a 10- to 15-foot-wide section of the jersey wall of the older bridge, which is typically used for east-bound traffic. At the time of the crash, traffic in both directions was moving on the older span, while maintenance work was being done on the newer span.
Green did not speculate on how traffic might be affected later this afternoon and evening, as throngs of beachgoers return from the shore to the Washington area.
“Obviously we want to have as many lanes open as possible,” Green said. But the priority is safety, he said. “We are certainly not going to open the roadway until it’s safe,” he said.
Kellie Boulware of the State Highway Administration advised drivers heading to the Eastern Shore to take detours on Interstates 97 and 95, or Routes 13 and 1.
“It’s a slow-moving process, people are getting through, but it’s going to be a while,” Boulware said.
Crews also worked to contain a spill from the truck’s diesel fuel tank. A crane was at the scene to lift the tractor-trailer from the water.
Source: washingtonpost.com