I witnessed this accident on my way to work this afternoon. I actually FELT the heat from the fire on my face. I was on 95 South, the accident was directly across from me on 95N. I looked over and saw a Mustang being pressed against the jersey walls. All of a sudden there was a BIG ball of fire.  I was really shaken up and now I'm saddened to hear someone did die in this accident.

 

Fatal crash closes I-95 northbound in Baltimore

By Peter Hermann and Justin Fenton | [email protected] [email protected]

5:49 PM EST, January 28, 2009

Emergency crews work near a jack-knifed tractor-trailer that was involved in an accident at the Washington Boulevard exit on northbound Interstate 95. (Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis / January 28, 2009)

 

All four lanes of northbound Interstate 95 and two lanes of the southbound highway near Washington Boulevard were closed this afternoon because of a multivehicle crash that has left one woman dead, according to authorities.

The woman was traveling in a tractor-trailer that jack-knifed and caught fire, according to authorities. The accident occurred around 3 p.m. on the northbound span of the highway, which is expected to remain closed into the evening.

Several other vehicles were involved in the crash but there were no other serious injuries reported, according to Chief Kevin Cartwright, a spokesman for the Baltimore Fire Department. Cartwright said the truck caught fire after its fuel tanks ruptured. The woman, who was a passenger in the cab, was trapped inside and died in the fire. Her husband was driving the truck and was able to escape, Cartwright said.

The truck was a contractor for Perdue and was carrying frozen chicken from Florida. The fire took 25 minutes to extinguish, according to Cartwright.

Northbound traffic is being diverted onto Caton Avenue, and drivers were encouraged to use Interstates 895 or 695 to detour around the accident. Backups were expected through the evening rush hour.

The accident's cause was not immediately clear. Cpl. Robert Thibodeau, a spokesman with the Maryland Transportation Authority police, said that road conditions "are not that bad" and that the road was not icy.

Thibodeau also declined to release the name of the victim pending notification of family members.

Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein was among those caught in the traffic backup. He was traveling back from Richmond, where he argued an appeal, when traffic ground to a halt. At 5:45 p.m., he was still sitting in traffic and chatting with others stranded in the backup.

"I saw the plume of dark smoke but wasn't close to see anything firsthand," Rosenstein said. "I was probably here for 15 minutes before anybody got the sense of how serious it was. ...Obviously, everyone has been concerned about the tragedy of someone losing their life."

Oh sweetie, I'm sorry you had to witness that. It is truly sickening to think about. I hope you can pu**** out of your mind, but anyone with a heart will be rocked a bit by witnessing something like that. It is so dangerous on the roads in this terrible weather. I hope everyone travels safely.

Take care,

Denise

Oh, that had to be so unsettling to be that close to such a tragic accident. I commute this same route (traveling North) on the nights that I do not go to the gym. When I saw the report of the accident, I had to pause and think that bt the grace of God, there go I. My sympathies to the family of those who were injured and lost their life today.

I am so sorry you witness this horrible accident.  I  will keep you in my thoughts.
(((((hugs)))))