What Happened in Brewer Monday That Shut Down I-395

Police say icy conditions and people illegally using crossovers contributed to many crashes on I-395 in Brewer Monday.

Black Ice and Crashes Are Snarling Traffic Around the Bridge

Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss told us at approximately 8:18 Monday morning that I-395 westbound was shut down fully due to icy bridges and crashes.

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Officials Say Icy Conditions Contributed to the Crashes

Maine State Troopers responded to the westbound lane of I-395 on the Veterans Remembrance Bridge in Brewer at approximately 7:20 Monday morning. When they arrived, Troopers found a Toyota Tacoma pickup that had lost control due icy conditions. The truck had crashed in lane 3 and was facing the wrong way, blocking traffic. As police were dealing with that crash scene, three more crashes happened in the area in the next few minutes. Officials say, in all, 10 vehicles were involved. One female driver was transported to Saint Joseph's Hospital with complaints of pain due to airbag deployment. I-395 westbound was closed for about 30 minutes.

Another Crash Was Caused by People Using the Crossover

Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesperson Shannon Moss says while Troopers were on the westbound crash scene, several drivers began using a crossover east of the scene to go from the westbound to eastbound lanes of travel. This forced eastbound traffic to slow abruptly and caused a 2-vehicle crash eastbound. No one was hurt in this crash, but it did cause I-395 eastbound traffic to be reduced to one lane for approximately 35 minutes. The operators who had used the crossover continued on and were not in the area when Troopers arrived.

State Police remind drivers that using crossovers is not permitted for any reason whatsoever. It is illegal and highly dangerous to everyone driving on the interstate. Police ask that people drive responsibly for the safety of all motorists.

We'll update this story as more details become available.