2 accidents back up Bay Bridge traffic

Bay Bridge traffic was snarled for hours yesterday after a five-vehicle crash in the span's eastbound lanes and a separate crash on U.S. 50 that injured a Maryland Transportation Authority Police officer.

The officer, Richard Lechner of Pasadena, had been patrolling U.S. 50 on a motorcycle yesterday morning when he hit the rear of a car that had turned suddenly into the shoulder, said Cpl. Jonathan Green, a spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority. Lechner was thrown from his motorcycle.

Authorities temporarily halted traffic on eastbound U.S. 50 so a helicopter could land and take the officer to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He was released yesterday evening, Green said.

Several hours after the motorcycle crash, three people were injured in a five-vehicle pileup that halted eastbound bridge traffic until 11:30 a.m. The accidents caused backups that lasted well into the evening .

The Maryland Transportation Authority has been assigning additional personnel to monitor Bay Bridge traffic during the summer, in part to keep motorists from illegally using the shoulder as a regular driving lane, Green said.