Tractor Trailer Collision Temporarily Shuts Down I-83
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- A major crash brought rush hour traffic on I-83 to a snarl Monday evening when a tractor trailer ran off the highway, then caught on fire.
Some are calling this a miracle that everyone was able to make it out alive.
In the middle of rush hour on 83 north near Shawan Road, an 18-wheeler loaded with tires got into an accident with at least two other vehicles.
Video from Sky Eye Chopper 13 showed the tractor trailer then ran off the highway into a ditch then burst into flames.
The crash shut down 83 northbound for hours. Some drivers caught-up in the grid-lock were totally unaware of what was going on.
"It was bumper to bumper, and the side roads are really not able to handle the tractor trailers and all, so they had to go up Beaver Dam Road and go up all the way around," said driver Kathleen McTygue.
The cabin of the tractor trailer was wrapped around a tree. The driver was somehow able to get get out alive.
"You know, I've been on quite a few of these and this is another one like so many where you just kind of take a look at it and just have to kind of wonder how it all came together because for the driver to be able to free himself on his own is pretty miraculous," said Lt. Tim Rostkowski of the Baltimore County Fire Department.
First responders say that driver and one other person were taken to the hospital with only minor injuries.
For Kathleen who was stuck in traffic, there's gratitude, even for the people she doesn't know.
"Yeah, that's pretty bad, so I am very very happy that they made it out alive," said McTygue.
As to what caused this crash, it's still not clear if someone cut off the tractor trailer, Maryland State Police will likely be investigating.
Officials have not identified any of the people involved in the crash. At least one lane re-opened three hours after the crash, but crews will still have to work to remove the damaged 18 wheeler.
Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook