A hectic scene unfolded in New Orleans on the city’s well-known Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge as 11 cars plowed into one another under severely foggy skies.
The horrendous pile-up occurred on Tuesday morning just before 9 am, causing traffic congestion on both sides of the longest bridge in the US, which was shut down after the incident.
Several people were hospitalized after the multi-vehicle accident, according to Causeway Police. Saint Tammany Parish Hospital told WDSU that at least 11 people went to the hospital.
Causeway General Manager Carlton Dufrechou told Nola.com that everyone who was injured ‘is going to be alright.’
Footage from Fox 8 showed an 18-wheeler was involved in the crash. Multiple other vehicles were seen crushed in between one another, facing all different directions.
Some of the vehicles also appeared to have gone on fire after they collided with the others.
Although police said that 11 vehicles crashed, Fox 8 reported that an estimated 40 to 50 cars were involved. Police have not confirmed Fox 8’s numbers.
Dufrechou said he is unsure when exactly the Causeway Bridge will be reopened.
At least 11 cars plowed into one another under severely foggy skies on Tuesday morning
The severe crash closed down the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge and sent several people to the hospital
A fog advisory was issued on Tuesday morning, as the skies were clouded and limited visibility to less than one mile in some areas
He told Nola.com at 10 am: ‘It could take a couple of hours. It’ll be after lunch.’
The Department of Transportation and Development shared that the bridge was still closed as of 12:45 pm.
This morning, a Marine Dense Fog advisory was in effect until 9 am, Fox 8 reported.
Visibility was limited to less than one mile over parts of Lake Pontchartrain – including the bridge – the National Weather Service in New Orleans said.
Kristin Hendry, a commuter who was stopped on the bridge because of the accident, described the disastrous event to Nola.com.
She said: ‘It was really foggy. As cars passed me I would watch them until they disappeared in the fog. There should have been a convoy.’
Dufrechou said it was ‘probably both’ fog and ‘rubber-necking’ that resulted in the drastic crash.
As a result of the thick layer of fog clouding Louisiana’s skies, other roads were shut down out of precaution.
Despite the chaotic scene, police said that everyone who was injured is expected to be okay
Some of the vehicles also appeared to have gone on fire after they collided with the others
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, where the Tuesday morning pile-up occurred, is the longest bridge in America
The Department of Transportation and Development closed off the Bonnet Carre Spillway Bridge this morning due to dense fog. The department since announced that the bridge has been reopened.
This accidents comes about nine months after a trucker was charged with causing an extreme 160-car pile-up that wreaked havoc on Louisiana highway in 2023.
Ronald Britt, 61, was charged with negligent homicide for his role in the flaming crash that killed eight people.
Britt was speeding on Interstate 55 west of New Orleans on October 23, 2023, when he slammed into the back of a car that had stopped in the left lane behind several other vehicles, Louisiana State Police said.
The ‘super fog’ of marsh fire smoke and dense fog snared more than 160 vehicles, authorities said.
