801 Crockett Street, Shreveport, Louisiana 71101
318/ 673-6655 ● FAX: 318/ 673-6656 ● www.shreveportfire.org

Kelvin J. Cochran, Fire Chief

July 10, 2002

PRESS RELEASE
To: Newsroom
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer
Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Ten Vehicle Accident Closes I-220 Bridge and Sends Three to Hospital

An accident scene that is more familiar to the super-highways of California unfolded this morning on Interstate-220 at the Red River bridge as a 18-wheeler jumped the center concrete divider and set off a chain reaction . . .

of accidents that involved 10 vehicles and sent three people to the hospital. The accident occurred just before 11:30 a.m. under clear and sunny skies when the tractor trailer, traveling east on I-220 slammed into the cement divider in the middle of the bridge over Red River. The entire cab portion of the 18-wheeler surged over the wall and into the oncoming lanes of west bound traffic.

As crowded and fast moving westbound traffic swerved in an attempt to avoid the intruding 18-wheeler, several struck each other, the truck and bridge railings. One of the vehicles, a late model Chevy Malibu, flipped over and came to rest in a crumpled pile of metal sitting atop the concrete median. The passenger of that vehicle, Kenneth Fuller, 40, of Shreveport had to be cut out of the car by firefighters as the roof was crushed to the level of the seat top. Miraculously, Fuller and the driver of the Malibu, David Jackson, 35, of Shreveport sustained only moderate injuries and were both transported to LSUHMC for further evaluation. It was not clear if the pair were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident but the car’s air bag did deploy. Also transported to the hospital was Jay Languirand, 31, also of Shreveport. Languirand was traveling west bound in his pickup when he became entangled in the accident. His injuries were said to be minor.

Other vehicles involved in the accident included two additional tractor-trailers that hit, among other things, each other, and other passenger vehicles from both sides of the bridge. Fire officials called the accident scene itself one of the worst in memory. There were damaged and destroyed vehicles and tractor-trailers along with pieces of metal and plastic littering 300 yards of the east side of the bridge. "When you consider the number and types of vehicles involved and the speeds being traveled at the time of accident, it is nothing short of a miracle that there were not any serious injuries resulting from this incident.

The tractor trailer of Covenant Transport of Chattanooga, Tennessee that jumped the divider was driven by Al Heard, 57, from Jackson, Mississippi. He was not injured but cited by Shreveport Police for Careless Operation, a misdemeanor charge. Other than antifreeze from engines, no other hazardous materials were found on the accident scene, as all of the tractor trailers involved were cargo and not chemical carriers. Both lanes of the I-220 bridge were closed for an hour-and-a-half before traffic, although cut down to one lane each way, was restored shortly before 1:00 p.m. It will take several more hours before the scene is completely cleared.
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