ST. CHARLES PARISH, LOUISIANA — An empty 18-wheeler was blown onto its side by straight-line winds from a severe thunderstorm while crossing the Bonnet Carré Spillway on Interstate 10 Monday afternoon, closing westbound I-10 near mile marker 212 for more than three hours and backing up traffic to the I-310 split.
The crash occurred around 2:40 p.m. on August 24 near the St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parish line. Louisiana State Police said powerful wind gusts associated with the storm pushed the tractor-trailer onto its side on the exposed spillway bridge. The truck was reportedly empty at the time, making the trailer significantly more vulnerable to crosswinds. The driver suffered minor injuries.
Louisiana State Police diverted traffic onto the shoulder and urged motorists to seek alternate routes while crews worked to recover the vehicle. Video of the incident circulated widely on social media. At approximately 5:50 p.m., LSP announced the vehicle had been recovered and westbound I-10 had reopened, with residual congestion expected to linger.
The Bonnet Carré Spillway is one of several long, exposed bridge crossings in southeast Louisiana where large commercial vehicles can be especially susceptible to sudden wind gusts. Empty or lightly loaded trailers are particularly vulnerable because their large surface area gives crosswinds significant force to push against with little weight to resist it.
Louisiana drivers are reminded that summer thunderstorms can develop quickly and conditions on long bridge crossings can deteriorate in seconds. Monitoring weather alerts and finding a safe place off the road if conditions become dangerous may be the better option than pressing on.
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