Tuesday, April 7, 2015

FEMALE VICTIM IDENTIFIED IN FIERY I-65 CRASH IN ALABAMA









APRIL 7, 2015

Alabama State Troopers have released the name of the woman killled April 2 in a fiery crash on I-65 near the Flomaton exit.

The victim was identified Tuesday by troopers at 51-year old Mary Daphine Bridges of Spanish Fort, AL. She was identified with the assistance of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.  Bridges was the driver of the silver car in the foreground of the photos on this page.

Five other people were injured in the nine-vehicle crash which involved six passenger vehicles and three semi trucks in the northbound lanes.

One person was killed and several others were injured in a fiery multi-vehicle crash on I-65 near Flomaton that first responders described as nothing less than horrific.

The accident involved three northbound 18-wheelers and six passenger vehicles at the 69 mile marker, with two of the 18-wheelers catching fire and burning into an almost unrecognizable pile of mangled metal. The female driver of a passenger car died in a vehicle that was nearly totally destroyed before catching fire in the crash.

One 18-wheeler was hauling lumber, one was hauling salt, and the cargo of the third, while not hazardous, was not known.

“It was the worst accident I’ve seen in 38 years of being a firefighter,” Flomaton Fire Department Chief Steve Stanton said from the scene.

Stanton said no less than 15 fire departments from Alabama and Florida responded to the crash, including departments from Century and McDavid. 

Multiple ambulances from both states and three helicopters were used to transport the victims to hospitals. Officials were not immediately sure how many people were injured, but state troopers said they believed it to be around five.

I-65 was closed between Flomaton and Atmore for hours, with traffic diverted through Atmore and Flomaton along Highway 31. Traffic backed up for miles and miles in both directions, often at a complete standstill.

Alabama State Troopers are continuing their investigation. Names and details on how the crash happened have not yet been released.


My husband is a truck driver and for all the comments about truckers being unsafe is absolutely ridiculous! They are some of the safest drivers on the road today for heavenly day they have more rules to follow from the law and DOT regulations than some of you may even begin to know! Im sure they get frustrated from time to time, but when someone pulls out in front of you at the last minute, you get frustrated too! Unfortunately, they about have a heart attack each time someone does that to them not knowing if they can stop in time so unexpectedly. Hopefully people can help prevent from this horrific accident to give more space to trucker and all moving vehicles in the future! My family has all that were involved in our prayers and our condolences to the family who encountered the loss. May God Bless!

Not all OTR drivers are bad derivers is a fair statement, however as an OTR motor coach operator, I see many companies hiring anything that breathes to drive these big rigs. I have seen OTRs try to pass on gravel shoulders in Colorado and my pet peeve is an OTR governed @ 68 or less try to pass another semi governed the same and tying up the left and right lane for miles making the regular cars pack up and get stupid. Possibly the cause of this accident.

Source: http://www.northescambia.com