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'It was just outrageous:' Drivers on Atchafalaya Basin Bridge trapped for hours after 18-wheeler fire
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BUTTE LA ROSE - Dozens of drivers endured a tense and frightening ordeal this weekend on I-10 West after an 18-wheeler overturned and caught fire on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
The crash happened Friday night near Whiskey Bay, in the middle of the 18-mile-long bridge. With no exits or turnarounds available, many drivers had no way off the bridge and remained stuck in traffic for hours.
One of those drivers was Kentelle Sims, who was traveling with his family.
“Now finally I have experienced something I’ve dreaded my whole life,” Sims said.
Louisiana State Police say the 18-wheeler flipped and caught fire, shutting down the westbound lanes and trapping drivers behind the burning truck.
“I basically had to stay there for hours, like five hours,” Sims said.
Because the bridge has no turnarounds, Sims said officers stopped drivers who tried to turn around and directed them back toward the original traffic backup.
“We had to turn all the way back around and go back up to traffic,” Sims said.
Sims said he was only a few cars away from the burning 18-wheeler. With his three children in the back seat, he said the situation quickly became overwhelming.
“You know, I had to basically cover them up in the backseat so they don’t have to smell anything,” Sims said. “Trying to protect them at the same time and deal with this crisis of being stuck on the interstate, it was just outrageous.”
After spending hours near the smoke and flames, Sims said he took himself and his children to the doctor Saturday morning for coughing and wheezing.
“Not knowing what’s out there, what’s in the air from this 18-wheeler that’s engulfed in flames,” Sims said.
State Police are now investigating the cause of the crash. WBRZ asked authorities what the truck was carrying. Officials say they do not yet know, but the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development cleared the bridge after cleanup and deemed it safe.
There were no placards indicating the presence of hazardous materials on the truck.
Sims says that uncertainty is concerning.
“Not knowing what was on the truck at the time, I just feel like they should have come up with a plan to turn everybody around and get them away from there,” Sims said.
As the investigation continues, Sims says he wants answers about what he and his children may have been exposed to while stuck for hours on the bridge.
Authorities have not released additional details about the truck’s cargo or what may have contributed to the fire.
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