Injuries Are Reported in Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel Truck Crash

There are few scenarios more frightening than being on a bridge or in a tunnel in Hampton Roads when a giant tractor-trailer crashes. This was the scenario this morning when injuries were reported in an I-664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel truck crash

Virginia State Police confirmed injuries in a crash on the MMMBT between Suffolk and Newport News when a truck jackknifed.

Traffic cameras from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) showed a tractor-trailer across the I-664 bridge, At least one car was pinned up against the wall.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Anaya said the crash with injuries was reported just before 8 a.m. It was not clear by early Thursday afternoon how many people were hurt in the crash.

The massive crash closed all northbound lanes on the bridge-tunnel for nearly two hours before the accident scene was scene cleared. Police set up a detour at the Western Freeway to the James River Bridge for drivers to navigate around the crash.

Southbound lanes were also shut down for a brief period of time as emergency crews responded to the accident scene.

Our thoughts are with those who were injured in this serious Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel truck crash. Accidents involving tractor-trailers are routinely more serious than wrecks involving cars.

Many big rigs rumble across interstates like I-664, I-64, and I-264 as they access the ports in Newport News, Portsmouth and Norfolk. They cross many bridges and tunnels. On occasions, truck accidents are caused by inattention or fatigue.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 3,660 people lost their lives in crashes with large trucks in 2014 on the highways of the United States. Of these deaths, just 16 percent were truck occupants. Almost 70 percent were occupants of passenger vehicles or cars. The others were motorcyclists, pedestrians, and cyclists. The number of people who lost their lives in big rig crashes was 16 percent higher than in 2009.

The Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel has seen some terrifying crashes involving big rigs in recent year.

In 2015, a crash involving a tractor-trailer led to the closure of the I-664 for several hours. Police said two cars and a tractor-trailer collided and one of the vehicles overturned.

The previous year, the driver of a box truck was charged after his vehicle crashed into the jersey wall of the bridge, ripping off the side of the truck, which hung over the James River.

The 74-year-old box truck driver struck a Honda Accord after northbound traffic had slowed down on the bridge. The impact pushed the Accord into the left side barrier, and the box truck ran off the road hitting a sign pole and the wall. The driver was charged with following too closely.

In 2013, a big rig struck the side of the barrier wall of the MMMBT and caught fire.

If you or a family member has been hurt in a Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel truck crash, you should consider consulting our experienced trucking accident injury team at (757) 455-0077. We recently secured an $895,000 settlement for a tow truck driver who suffered serious injuries on the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.