Driver killed as truck careens off Bay Bridge

[beanboy89]

Crash snarls traffic, leads to three-hour delays
By SCOTT DAUGHERTY, Staff Writer
Published August 10, 2008
A tractor trailer careened off the side of the Bay Bridge in the early hours Aug. 10 during a three-vehicle crash, plunging into the Chesapeake Bay and killing the driver, police said.
Two people in a Chevrolet Camaro involved in the 3:55 a.m. wreck were injured. They were flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center with serious injuries. Two people in the other car, a Toyota Prius, were not injured.

Divers pulled the driver from the tractor trailer shortly after the wreck. The 18-wheeler, which is owned by Mountaire Farms in Delaware, landed upright and settled with its top visible in about 10 feet of water.

Few details about the wreck — which occurred on the two-lane, eastbound span of the bridge — were available. Cpl. Jonathan Green, spokesman for Maryland Transportation Authority Police, could not say why the truck drove off the bridge or name the victims. He said he has not heard of a vehicle driving off the side of the bridge in his 15-year history with the department.

At 6 p.m., the eastbound span remained closed. The westbound span was open for two-way traffic, with two lanes open to westbound traffic and one lane open to eastbound traffic.

Drivers on Route 50 reported delays of more than three hours both ways during the afternoon and the number to call for Bay Bridge traffic conditions rang busy most of the day. Eastbound traffic was backed up past the Severn River Bridge and Interstate 97 this afternoon. Cpl. Green said westbound delays stretched to the Route 301/Route 50 split.

“This is one of the worst experiences of my life,” said Ben Boyer of Schellsburg, Pa., as he crept east on Route 50 toward the Severn River Bridge on his way to Ocean City. “It’s hot, ... (my air conditioning isn’t work), and now it’s raining on top of everything.”

Two-way traffic was in effect on the eastbound span at the time of the wreck. Cpl. Green explained the westbound span was closed for maintenance.

Cpl. Green said the tractor trailer was heading west when it crossed the eastbound lanes and struck the jersey wall a quarter-mile from Kent Island. It busted through the wall and landed in the shallow water about 30 to 40 feet below.

The unidentified truck driver was a Mountaire employee. Cpl. Green said police are working to contact the family.

“We are devastated. We are a really close-knit family,” said Roger Marino, spokesman for Mountaire Farms — a poultry company with farms in Delaware and North Carolina. He declined further comment, saying he knew little about what happened. “This is a tragic loss for the entire Mountaire family.”

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/08_10-48/TOP

Scary. I was just over that bridge last weekend! 

[lfmusiclover]

Yeah I just saw that on the news. Very scary indeed. What happened is, at the time the truck was crossing the eastbound span, the westbound span was shut down for maintenance, meaning that the eastbound span was carrying two-way traffic. I've always felt that it was very dangerous to allow two way traffic, and it seems that may have played a role in this accident.

[beanboy89]

Yeah I just saw that on the news. Very scary indeed. What happened is, at the time the truck was crossing the eastbound span, the westbound span was shut down for maintenance, meaning that the eastbound span was carrying two-way traffic. I've always felt that it was very dangerous to allow two way traffic, and it seems that may have played a role in this accident.

Yeah, I don't think having two-way on one span of the bridge is safe. On our way down to the beach last Friday, the westbound span was carrying two way traffic, and we purposely didn't get in the lane that funneled off to the other span just because it's not really safe having two-way traffic on one span.

IMO, there really needs to be another Bay crossing somewhere just to alleviate traffic on the Bay Bridge.

[lfmusiclover]

Yeah I just saw that on the news. Very scary indeed. What happened is, at the time the truck was crossing the eastbound span, the westbound span was shut down for maintenance, meaning that the eastbound span was carrying two-way traffic. I've always felt that it was very dangerous to allow two way traffic, and it seems that may have played a role in this accident.

Yeah, I don't think having two-way on one span of the bridge is safe. On our way down to the beach last Friday, the westbound span was carrying two way traffic, and we purposely didn't get in the lane that funneled off to the other span just because it's not really safe having two-way traffic on one span.

IMO, there really needs to be another Bay crossing somewhere just to alleviate traffic on the Bay Bridge.

The last time my family and I went to OC (2003) I drove, for the first time. As it turned out, the eastbound span that day was doing two way traffic. Let me tell ya, it was rather scary to drive over the bridge for the very first time, in the face of oncoming traffic no less.

I agree that there needs to be another bay crossing.

[Concentric Eyewall]

Damn, that's certainly a tragedy.

Reminds me of what happened a year ago around my area.  A truck transporting a slew of horses slammed into an oncoming car at intersection at the foot of a hill.  Three hour traffic delays, and all the horses and driver were killed.

[Gil]

Poor horses.

[TheRolyPoly]

That was scary