I-10 W reopens after bridge inspection completed following deadly 18-wheeler chain reaction crash

By WAFB Staff

Posted: Wed 4:21 PM, Aug 28, 2019

Crews inspecting Atchafalaya Basin Bridge after the deadly crash. | Photo Source: Louisiana State Police

IBERVILLE PARISH, La. (WAFB) - I-10 W reopened Wednesday, Aug. 28 around 3 p.m. after five 18-wheelers crashed on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge on Monday, Aug. 26.

Initially, Louisiana State Police reported there were no fatalities as a result of the wreck, however, one body was later discovered on the scene. The crashed claimed the life of truck driver Christopher McGee, 31, of Youngstown, Fla. McGee was driving a truck that became engulfed in flames.

DOTD conducted bridge inspections before the roadway was reopened.

A red car and five 18-wheelers ended up in a fiery, tangled mess along I-10 W between Baton Rouge and Lafayette on Monday, Aug. 26 around 2 p.m. Some of the vehicles in the pileup came to rest facing the opposite direction. It’s not yet known what caused the pileup.

LSP later issued an evacuation within a half-mile radius from the crash site.

According to LSP, two of the 18-wheelers involved were carrying flammable materials. A hazmat team responded to the scene to offload the chemicals.

The call initially went out as a single-vehicle wreck in which a car lost control and hit the rail of the bridge. The two 18-wheelers then collided, LSP says, causing a pileup. In total, five 18-wheelers were involved, including three tankers and two cargo trucks, as well as the one passenger vehicle.