Cars pile up on Louisiana's Causeway Bridge after thick fog blankets region: Video
Dozens of cars piled up on a bridge near New Orleans after dense foggy conditions in Louisiana caused multiple car crashes.
More than 40 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes that caused the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge to close in both directions for almost seven hours Tuesday. St. Tammany Parish Fire District #4 spokesperson Jeremy Windom told Paste BN Wednesday Mandeville Fire / EMS were alerted of an accident on the southbound span of the Causeway Bridge near mile marker 18 around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Units arrived on the scene to find an 11-vehicle crash and "then received additional information that there were multiple crashes further onto the bridge, as well as on the Northbound span." Multiple local and state agencies were called in to assist in dealing with the accidents, Windom said.
Video shows car pile-up in Louisiana
Pileup caused bridge to be closed in both directions
St. Tammany Parish Fire District #4, in an update around 9:50 a.m. Tuesday, had said fire units were dealing with an 11-vehicle crash on the southbound span of the Causeway Bridge.
"As a result, the Causeway is closed in BOTH directions," the fire department said. "Expect significant traffic delays and consider other traffic routes to get to your destination."
The Causeway Bridge, said to be the "Longest Bridge in the World Over Water," according to its website spans 24 miles over Lake Pontchartrain connecting Metairie with Mandeville, both part of the New Orleans metropolitan area.
33 reported to have been injured
Windom said approximately 15 patients were transported to local area hospitals while "quite a few more patients were evaluated, treated and released on scene by medics."
The fire department, in a post on Facebook Tuesday evening said, there "were no life-threatening injuries, which is the most important thing."
While the total number of people injured is yet to be determined, Fox 8 and NOLA.com, quoting St. Tammany Fire District #4 officials, reported 33 people were hospitalized with minor and life-threatening injuries.
Aerial footage from Tuesday shows the bridge covered and surrounded in dense fog with several cars involved in crashes and others lined up on the bridge.
The reason behind the crashes is not immediately known but Windom said "witnesses state that the fog was light and then became extremely heavy very quickly."
Causeway General Manager Carlton Dufrechou told Fox 8 the crashes began around 8:30 a.m., when a thick blanket of fog suddenly rolled in and severely reduced visibility. Officials said the most severe crash occurred near the 18-mile marker on the southbound bridge, while a subsequent crash occurred on the northbound side, according to Fox 8. Dufrechou told NOLA.com that one of the wrecked vehicles was an 18-wheeler, which is going to "be the dinosaur we have to deal with," during the cleanup operation.
Foggy conditions continue in Louisiana
While the bridge was opened to public Tuesday evening, a "rolling fog convoy" is still in effect on the Causeway as of 10:00 a.m. Wednesday as portions of southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi remain under dense fog advisory, issued by the National Weather Service, New Orleans.
"Causeway Police may determine various speeds that coincide with visibility on the bridge. No lane changes in convoy," the advisory on the website says.
Motorcycles, RV's, glass trucks, meanwhile, have been disallowed on the Causeway Bridge, a 5:22 a.m. advisory said, due to poor visibility.
Dufrechou requested the public to exercise caution on the foggy roadways and "pay attention" while driving, Fox 8 reported.
"Please watch the road," he told NOLA.com. "Whether you're on the bridge or just going to the corner store."
NWS said low visibility "could make driving conditions hazardous," and advised drivers to "slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you."
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.