A
northbound Novato man crossing the Golden Gate Bridge Monday
afternoon pulled into a southbound lane and smashed head-on
into another car, killing the woman driver and causing an
11-car pileup that closed bridge lanes for hours and halted
traffic for miles. The deceased 38-year-old woman was not
identified Monday night, allowing officials to contact her
family, said California Highway Patrol officials. A Golden
Gate official working at the toll plaza said it was the
worst backup he'd seen in the eight years he'd worked at
the bridge.
Witnesses told
officials that 56 year-old Joseph Cowan was driving his
Mercedes Benz fast on the bridge about 3:23 p.m. when he
came up behind slowed traffic. He attempted to pass the
cars blocking his way by pulling into the southbound fast
lane. He hit a BMW driven by the woman head-on, killing
her instantly. A chain reaction of crashes followed and
eventually involved nine more cars, all traveling south,
said highway officials. Besides Cowan, two men from Seattle
driving in a Honda Civic had Major injuries, including head
and internal injuries and lacerations. Highway officials
said the two Seattle men were taken to San Francisco General
Hospital. Cowan was taken to Marin General Hospital.
The Seattle
men, both in their 20s, were listed in fair condition at
San Francisco General Hospital on Monday night. One suffered
a spleen injury and the other a collapsed lung; both suffered
minor cuts from glass. Wreckage covered five of the six
lanes and the bridge had lanes closed from 3:30 until nearly
7:30 p.m. while emergency crews cleared away the debris.
Six of the cars involved were driven off the bridge but
five other were so damaged they had to be towed, officials
said.
The crash occurred
at the north tower on the Marin County end of the bridge.
Southbound Highway 101 traffic backed up several miles to
the Richardson Bay Bridge, according to officials. On the
south end of the Golden Gate Bridge, northbound commuters
were stuck on city streets back to Van Ness Avenue in San
Francisco's Marina District and to Lincoln Way through Golden
Gate Park.
The
entire bridge was closed for more than an hour, then one
northbound lane was opened at about 4:40 p.m. and a southbound
lane opened at about 5:10 p.m., allowing traffic to begin
to trickle through. All six lanes were reopened by 7:23
p.m. At 9 p.m., Golden Gate Bridge Board Officials said
"Traffic still was backed up toward Van Ness Avenue."
Personal Note:
* The public
has cried out for a movable median traffic barrier, in two
ways:
First. That the
Bridge-Board of Director get off their hand's and do something,
before there is a massive four to five car/truck head-on
collision and other people die because of a luck of action
taken towards the installation of the much needed Movable
Median Traffic Barrier!
Second. One of their own families members, or friends were
to be involved in an head-on collision before they decided
to do something a about MMB...
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