NORFOLK, VA– The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel was closed for several hours this morning due to an overnight single-vehicle crash, officials say.
As of 11 a.m. on February 19, all debris had been cleared and lanes were reopened.
CBBT says around 1:45 a.m. a tractor trailer crashed on Two Island at the Thimble Shoal Tunnel before become engulfed in flames. The truck was reportedly transporting frozen chickens – which spilled into the roadway.
Tunnel traffic was blocked in both directions as fire crews from Virginia Beach, Cape Charles and Cheriton responded.
The tractor trailer was cleared from the scene by approximately 6:30 a.m., according to a press release, but traffic remained blocked as cleanup was ongoing.
Officials opened a single lane to traffic just after 7:30 a.m. CBBT said drivers should expect continued delays, detours and reduced speeds in the area until the crash scene is fully cleared.
Well, call it fate, a coincidence, or maybe just dumb luck, but a Salisbury truck driver happened to be driving over the bridge just moments after the crash took place.
Patrick Davis was on his way back to Salisbury from Newport News, Virginia, when he encountered what he called a nightmare scenario.
"I noticed a gentlemen frantically waving, you know, pull over, my trucks on fire, and we were still in the tunnel at that time," said Davis.
Davis said he then hopped out of his truck to help. A former Salisbury firefighter, Davis said he was able to remain calm at an otherwise chaotic scene.
"Make sure he was okay, I went up towards the truck to make sure it was truly on fire, and it was, it was fully involved, nothing I could do," said Davis. "I called the bridge police who then made sure they stopped traffic because there was no visibility whatsoever in the tunnel."
A few moments after calling the police, emergency crews arrived to clear the scene.
"I had to get out of the way, well the tunnel section is a mile long, I had to drive in reverse for that mile," said Davis.
Davis then sat patiently outside the tunnel for the next seven hours, waiting for crews to finish up. Watching the clock slowly tick by gave him time to process the harrowing scene he had just witnessed.
"It makes you think, you know, it could happen, and you always hope it's not you, but you know a split second," said Davis. "We don't know why he crashed but it just makes you think, drive a little slower, especially in the middle of the night."
An anything but average early morning commute on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.