The driver of a tractor-trailer was killed early yesterday in a three-vehicle crash that sent the 18-wheeler plunging into the Chesapeake Bay - the first time that a vehicle has plummeted from the bridge in its 56-year history, according to current and former officials of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
The early morning crash left a gaping hole in the wall of the bridge, forced the all-day closure of the eastbound span and created a virtual parking lot for miles on both sides of U.S. 50 leading to the westbound span. Last night, authorities reopened the left lane of the eastbound span but said the right lane was not expected to reopen until this afternoon. They warned motorists to expect delays today and to find alternative routes.
In addition to the tractor-trailer, the crash involved a Chevrolet Camaro and a Toyota Prius, police said. Two people in the Camaro were flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in serious condition; the passenger was later released, and the driver, identified by police as Candy Lynn Baldwin, 19, of Millington, remained hospitalized in good condition last night. The driver and passenger in the Prius were uninjured.
The tractor-trailer driver was identified as John Robert Short, 57, of Willards.
The accident occurred just before 4 a.m. on the eastbound span, where two-way traffic was being directed while the westbound span was closed for maintenance, said Cpl. Jonathan Green, a spokesman for the Transportation Authority Police.
About a quarter-mile from the Kent Island side of the bridge, the westbound tractor-trailer crashed into the jersey wall, taking out a 10- to 15-foot section, before plummeting 30 to 40 feet to the water, Green said. It was unclear how the other two vehicles were involved, Green said.
Although police were releasing few details about how the crash unfolded, the Prius' driver, Seung Won Hong, gave his account to The Sun.
Reached by phone at his Springfield, Va., home, Hong, 41, said he was driving east behind the Camaro when it collided with the westbound truck. Hong said the rig spun out of control, and the trailer struck the rear of his Prius. He heard a huge bang, then saw the trailer topple over the jersey wall.
Hong and his passenger, Ho Yoo, 42, were headed to Delaware to go fishing, he said.
"It happened very fast," Hong said. "At the time, I was shaken up a bit, but now I'm just trying to think clearly."
