Louisiana transportation officials say that all lanes of westbound I-10 over the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge will remain closed following a multiple vehicle crash.
The crash occurred around 2 p.m. on Monday, August 26, in the westbound lanes of I-10 at mile marker 125 over the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Police believe that there were three separate crashes at the same location that involved one passenger vehicle and five commercial vehicles. Two of the trucks involved in the crash were hauling flammable materials and several of the vehicles involved in the pileup caught fire after the crash.
At least one person died in the crash. The identity of this person has not been released. Five others were injured and taken to the hospital.
Both directions of I-10 were shut down as multiple fire crews worked to contain the blaze.
Eastbound I-10 has reopened, but it isn’t clear when the westbound lanes will reopen because the bridge must be inspected for structural damage caused by the fire. “With a fire that burns that hot, they’ll be checking the stability of the bridge to make sure it’s not deteriorated in any way before they open it back up,” said Iberville Sheriff Brett Stassi.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
You can see video of the crash site captured by a motorist below.