The Outerbridge Crossing Closed Due to Five-Car Pileup

STATEN ISLAND, New York — SILIVE.com reported that the authorities shut down the Outerbridge Crossing in both directions because of a five-car pileup during the tail end of the morning commute. Two people required hospitalization at Staten Island University Hospital located in Ocean Breeze. Authorities closed the roadway for at least one hour as they treated the wounded and cleared the wrecked vehicles involved in the pileup. The 911 call came into rescuers around 8:56 a.m. Crews from the Fire Department of New York, New York Emergency Medical Services, and police officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey responded to the scene. There was no indication from the Port Authority police that they charged any of the drivers with crimes or motor vehicle infractions.

None of the first responders provided details concerning how the five-car crash happened. The Port Authority Police reported that one of the parties transported to the hospital sustained a neck injury. The other injured party, according to the initial Port Authority reports, suffered from chest pain. The responding officers did not differentiate the chest pain as either a possible cardiac event or an injury to the sternum and ribs from hitting the steering wheel or airbag with great velocity. A spokesperson from the FDNY could not provide any additional details about the injuries the accident victims suffered.

Closing the Outerbridge Crossing in each direction caused massive traffic delays. Authorities announced travel alerts as soon as possible, hoping to divert commuters around the lane closures. Residual traffic stacked up to the West Shore Expressway as well as the Korean War Veterans Memorial Parkway in the aftermath of the crash. Authorities reopened the road in about one hour.

Morning commuters who use the Outerbridge Crossing are well familiar with lane closures. In later February, a seven-car pileup forced authorities to close the lanes in both directions for over two hours.

A National Law Firm With Offices In:
New York | Brooklyn | Queens | Long Island | New Jersey | Florida
Call us at: 1-800-YOURLAWYER (800-968-7529) | Schedule your free consultation