Tractor-trailer overturns I-95 closed for hours

A tractor-trailer loaded with frozen goods overturned and was dangling precariously on the Interstate 95 overpass near White Marsh last night, forcing state police to close all southbound and northbound traffic on the highway.

Three people were injured, one critically, officials said.

Sgt. Sandra M. Kestner, of the JFK barracks, said the crash occurred at the I-95 overpass at I-695 about 8:50 p.m. Police said the tractor-trailer collided with three passenger cars -- one of which was a disabled vehicle on the shoulder -- and flipped over. A second car went over an embankment. Details were sketchy, but police said the most seriously injured person was flown by state police MedEvac to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where a spokeswoman said the victim's condition was critical.

The truck driver was taken by ambulance to Franklin Square Hospital in Rosedale and the occupant of another car was taken to the Francis Scott Key Medical Center in Baltimore. Their names were not available last night.

I-95 was shut down to allow emergency and state maintenance workers access to the scene. They were using a front-end loader and a dump truck to remove the frozen goods that spilled onto the highway. The entire tractor load was destroyed, police said.

Traffic was being rerouted to I-695 until representatives from the State Highway Administration could arrive and inspect the bridge, police said. They were preparing to open the northbound lanes around midnight once the bridge inspection was complete, but were uncertain when traffic might resume on the southbound lanes.