NEW YORK - A woman was killed Tuesday morning in a fiery crash on the Cross Bronx Expressway.
N.J. woman killed in fiery crash on Cross Bronx Expressway
Police have released more details about the deadly, fiery crash on the Cross Bronx Expressway.
Investigators say 49-year-old Shelly Vilsaint, of Bayonne, New Jersey, was driving an SUV and rear-ended a tractor trailer carrying U.S. mail near the Major Deegan.
Both vehicles stopped in the center lane, and Vilsaint got out of her car to talk to the truck driver. He suggested they pull over to the shoulder, but she refused.
Vilsaint returned to her car and called 911. They were waiting for police when another tractor trailer hit her car, pushing it into the first tractor trailer. All three vehicles then burst into flames.
The truck drivers escaped and were not hurt.
Vilsaint was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police say the mail was burned.
The Cross Bronx reopened Tuesday afternoon after being closed for hours.
Parts of Cross Bronx Expressway remain closed
The Cross Bronx Expressway has partially reopened following a deadly crash in the Bronx that killed a woman.
It happened early Tuesday morning, shortly after midnight.
Investigators still haven't been able to pinpoint exactly what caused the deadly crash, which shut down the westbround stretch of the Cross Bronx Expressway for hours.
It partially reopened around 11 a.m.
Witnesses CBS2's Elijah Westbrook spoke to say they couldn't believe what they saw.
"I heard an explosion, boom! I see it was an explosion, so I called 911," said Anthony Ferrer.
Ferrer said he watched in disbelief from his bedroom window that faces east toward the Cross Bronx Expressway. Police say a car headed westbound rear-ended a tractor trailer near Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
A few seconds later, they say an 18-wheeler did not stop in time, and also rear-ended both the car and other truck. It caused and explosion, shooting flames and smoke into the air before emergency crews arrived.
"I said 'Oh my God, is this going to be something where a lot of people die?' This is crazy," Ferrer said. "The fire ball was really high."
Ferrer and other area residents watched cleanup crews dismantle the trailers the trucks were attached to piece by piece, before they were put onto a dump truck.
The cleanup process took more than five hours, creating a mess of a morning commute for drivers who travel through that part of the borough. Chopper 2 over the expressway showed the extensive amount of traffic that stretched out.
"It's scary. You don't expect something like this to happen, you know?" said witness Alex Colon.
Other residents tell Westbrook they're used to incident happening on the Cross Bronx, including an incredible scene in January of last year that injured eight people. An MTA bus crashed through the fence of an overpass on University Avenue before the first half of the accordion-style bus dropped 50 feet onto the roadway.
Police haven't been able to identify the woman as yet due to the severity of the crash. They say only they believe she was in 30s or 40s.
Chopper 2 over the scene
Chopper 2 was over the scene as clean-up efforts continued Tuesday morning.
Eastbound lanes of Cross Bronx Expressway reopened
Woman killed in crash
Police say it happened just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
They say a car moving westbound rear-ended a tractor trailer.
An 18-wheeler truck that was coming up from behind did not stop in time, and rear-ended the car, crushing the vehicle.
Video shows the devastating aftermath of the crash. Police say the impact was so strong it caused an explosion and flames engulfed the car and trucks. Smoke could be seen billowing from one of the trailers and the car was completely crushed.
The fiery mess on the Cross Bronx Expressway prompted a huge response. Crews worked throughout the night trying to put out the fire.
As for the people involved, investigators say the driver of the car that was smashed did not survive.
The two truck drivers were evaluated by medics at the scene and are expected to be OK.
The crash created a mess for the morning commute. All lanes in both directions on the Cross Bronx Expressway were shut down. The southbound lanes of the Major Deegan were closed as well while investigators work to determine what caused the deadly crash.