By Dave Ryan

ANNAPOLIS – Thirteen motorists were injured, two seriously, in chain-reaction wrecks on the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bay Bridge. The collisions, involving a total of about 43 vehicles, occurred just offshore of Kent Island during heavy fog on Saturday.

Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police Dispatch received initial calls at 8 a.m.

Investigators with the MDTA Police Collision Reconstruction Unit preliminarily believe that 23 vehicles were involved in a chain-reaction crash on the westbound span. Additionally, investigators believe approximately 20 additional vehicles were involved in a series of secondary crashes, a statement from the MDTA said later on Saturday.

Two patients were transported to local hospitals with serious injuries. Eleven additional patients were also transported to local hospitals. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.

The westbound span reopened to traffic at approximately 1:50 p.m. Traffic alternated directions on the eastbound span while the westbound span was closed.

One driver recounted in a post on social media her experience of having her car crushed between a guardrail and a tanker truck.

“I wasn't trying to go around the tanker truck, well, not to pass her anyway. The fog was so thick it was like a curtain blocking vision,” Gina Earle wrote. “Once I saw headlights, I slammed on my brakes, and went into the next lane, preventing major injuries to the person I would have hit. I also then went onto the shoulder to prevent from hitting the tanker directly.

“Instead, I ran into the guard rail and bounced into the tanker truck,” Ms. Earle wrote. “A box truck hit the tanker causing it to pin me in my car. I feel lucky to have walked away from this and blessed that I didn't injure anyone.”

Another driver narrowly avoided a collision. Dave Ruth posted online, “I came over the Bridge around 7:30 a.m. and the first part of the bridge was a complete whiteout. I was pretty fortunate I did come up on a slower vehicle that had no flashers or even running lights on in the middle lane and was fortunate enough to avoid a rear-end accident.”

UPDATE

On Monday, Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police Officers continued to investigate the incident.

Members of the MDTA Police Collision Reconstruction Unit are working on a full reconstruction of the 23-vehicle crash. At this point in the investigation, Collision Reconstruction Unit investigators believe a blue 2018 Honda Civic sedan was being driven at high speeds and erratically prior to the crash and may have contributed to the crash.

“This reconstruction is a detailed process that typically takes months to complete as investigators analyze evidence such as interviews, physical evidence, medical records and more,” a statement from MDTA police said. “Additional information will be released as it becomes available. Any potential charges related to the crash are pending the conclusion of the investigation.”

Anyone who witnessed this blue Honda Civic traveling on westbound US-50 near the Bay Bridge between approximately 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, is asked to call the MDTA Police at 443-454-8703.