| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 5402 | 2008-05-19 | Troop F | Bridge Crash Snarls Traffic |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent News Release May 19, 2008 11:55 pm Bridge Crash Snarls Traffic Louisiana State Police Troop F Troopers are investigating a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 20 at the Mississippi River bridge in Madison Parish. The crash occurred at about 7:35 pm on the east bound side of the interstate. A 2002 Ford F-150 was disabled and stopped in the outside traffic lane. A 1995 Chevrolet truck stopped in front of the disabled truck to assist it in getting off the bridge when a 2007 Sterling truck with a tandem trailer rear ended the Ford truck. The impact forced the Ford truck into the rear of the Chevrolet truck and caused the driver of the Sterling truck to lose control and roll over the rear trailer of his vehicle. The driver of the disabled Ford, identified as 49 year old Estus Jones of Vicksburg, MS, was standing in front of his truck at the time of the initial collision and was struck by his own vehicle. Jones was transported to River Region Medical Center in Vicksburg with moderate injuries. The driver of the Sterling tractor trailer, identified as 61 year old Frankie Simmons from Cabot, AR, was not injured in the crash. The Sterling truck began leaking diesel fuel from its side saddle tank after the crash. The fuel was quickly contained, but some of it did flow into the Mississippi river. The Louisiana State Police Hazardous Materials unit and the United States Coast Guard have been called to the scene to assess the situation. Simmons was cited for Careless Operation in the crash. The driver of the Chevrolet was standing outside his vehicle at the time of the crash and was not injured. The east bound lanes of Interstate 20 were closed for several hours and traffic backed up for several miles. At least one east bound lane is open at this time. After this initial crash, there were at least two other crashes which were attributed to the traffic congestion or to inattentive drivers. Additional updates will follow as needed. For More Information, Contact: | |||
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