Danger struck the Bay Bridge on the Fourth of July, as a head-on crash left a car mangled and the driver seriously injured. The collision was so serious that a medevac helicopter landed on the bridge to airlift the driver to the hospital.
The crash happened just after 11:40 a.m. on July 4, on the westbound span of the bridge. The span was in two-way operations at the time of the crash, meaning that one lane carried travelers going to the Eastern Shore and two lanes carried travelers going to the western side.
Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police say the car swerved from the eastbound lane into the westbound lanes and crashed into a tractor trailer. The car’s driver was seriously hurt, and was taken by state police helicopter to Shock Trauma in Baltimore.
The Kent Island and Grasonville Volunteer Fire Departments helped extricate the victim, who was trapped in the car. Fire department photos show the roof and door of the car completely cut away.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured in the crash.
MDTA Police say the car swerved into oncoming traffic “for an unknown reason”. Their Police Reconstruction Unit is investigating the crash and asks any witnesses to call police at 410-295-8146.
The westbound Bay Bridge was fully closed for just over an hour, with one lane reopening at 12:50. The bridge fully reopened 2.5 hours after the crash.
For drivers using the Bay Bridge, the delays from the crash compounded what is already one of the heaviest travelled weekends of the year at the bridge. On Sunday afternoon, July 6, backups leading to the westbound span stretched for 16 miles. The MDTA sent an advisory with best travel times over the holiday weekend, warning, “Drivers who travel outside of the recommended drive times should expect significant delays when crossing the bridge. The core issue is traffic volume exceeding lane capacity.”
