One Dead After Tractor-Trailer Plunges Into Chesapeake Bay Following Bridge Accident
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A tractor-trailer crashed Sunday on the eastbound Bay Bridge and plunged into the water, killing the driver, authorities said.
Two other people were seriously injured in the three-vehicle accident, Maryland Transportation Authority spokesman Jonathan Green said. He did not immediately release the identities of those involved in the crash.
The tractor-trailer fell about 30 to 40 feet off the bridge into shallow water about 4 a.m. Sunday, Green said. The 18-wheeler was upright and its top was visible in about 10 feet of water in the Chesapeake Bay.
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Green did not know what caused the crash. Authorities shut down the span to investigate and were routing vehicles to a parallel bridge.
"Traffic has potential for backups," said Green, who advised travelers to adjust their schedules or plan alternate routes.
Maryland Transportation Authority Web cameras showed traffic had slowed to a crawl in both directions on the parallel span.
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The scenic four-mile bridges, which peak at about 186 feet, are a major artery to the Delaware and Maryland beaches. The eastbound span opened in 1952 and the parallel structure opened about 20 years later.