2 dead in crash on Bay Bridge upper deck; Police activity causes major traffic backup

SAN FRANCISCO -- Two people were killed in a crash on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge late Wednesday night, and police activity amid the traffic backup brought the Thursday morning commute into San Francisco to a halt.

The California Highway Patrol said dispatchers received a call at about 11:20 p.m. of a collision between a big rig and a black Dodge Charger. on westbound Interstate 80 just before Treasure Island.

The Dodge was speeding before it hit the big rig traveling at 15 mph, CHP Officer Erica Tatum said. The Dodge hit the rear of the truck, killing the two people inside the Dodge, Tatum said.

CHP officers shut down four of the five lanes of the freeway for about four hours while officers investigated, Tatum added. All lanes reopened at about 3:30 a.m.

Tatum said a three-vehicle collision five minutes before the fatal one may have caused the big rig to slow down.

Hours after the crash, police activity on the upper deck blocked westbound lanes of traffic past Yerba Buena Island. KCBS Radio reported the activity involved a person having a mental health crisis.

The incident created a massive backup for Thursday morning commuters from the East Bay into San Francisco.

KCBS reporter Matt Bigler tweeted at 6:32 a.m. that the CHP had taken the person in distress into custody.

According to the CHP, the fatal crash and the person having a mental health crisis were not believed to be related.

There was at least one other two-car fender-bender in the backup on the Oakland side of the Bay Bridge incline, KCBS reported.

The CHP reported all lanes had been reopened as of 7:06 a.m.