NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — A 55-year-old Florida man has died following a two-vehicle crash Monday morning that sent one of the vehicles into the water at the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.
“We did lose one person and that individual was inside that single vehicle that we pulled out,” said David Lewis, Newport News Fire Assistant Fire Chief.
Virginia State Police reported that two cars crashed around 6:58 a.m.
They determined through its investigation that a 2011 Chevy Traverse was traveling in the right lane of southbound Interstate 664 when it tried to make a lane change and struck a 2005 Dodge Durango in the left lane, State Police said. The Traverse then spun and went over the bridge wall and into the water.
The driver of the Traverse, 55-year-old Daniel Irizarry from Orlando, Florida, died in the crash, State Police said.
A witness to the crash told 10 On Your Side’s Kiahnna Patterson that she saw one car roll several times before going into the water. The woman, who was behind the crash, then called 911.
Several agencies with resources rushed to Interstate 664, including; Newport News police & fire, Suffolk police & fire, Norfolk Police, Virginia State Police, Marine Police, the Port of Virginia and the Coast Guard.
Darin Ward lives near the bridge and witnessed the large scene on and above the area.
“It really scary. It’s frightening. … That’s everybody’s nightmare,” Ward said.
“Once we arrived on scene, unfortunately, the vehicle was already submerged. So now it creates a different layer of challenges to get down to the vehicle to access it,” said Demitri Wilson, Suffolk Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief Special Operations. “The currents were choppy this morning. It rained all night. The wind was up with very choppy conditions, which adds a layer of challenges to this type of incident.”
Initially, divers with Suffolk Police went into water and found the vehicle, but the currents and wind were still too strong for them to recover it.
“We couldn’t safely get rescuers down to where the vehicle was located,” Lewis said. “Sonar was picking up that there was an object in a certain location right off the bridge and that’s where we ended up sending down an underwater vehicle with the assistance of Chesapeake and Suffolk Fire Department. They were able to confirm that there was a vehicle located at the bottom … about 35 feet down.”
On their second attempt, divers with Newport News Fire were able to recover the car from the water. That happened at around 2:32 p.m. It was all part of a multi-agency marine emergency response.
“Within several hours, once the current slowed down, … we were to send crews down there, make attachments with a tow truck that was on scene, and we were able to get out of the way,” Lewis said.
State Police will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash and identify the person.
“Unfortunately, we lost somebody and there’s a family that’s suffering,” Lewis said. “I would just ask that everybody … to keep the thoughts and prayers towards those who have been severely impacted today.”
The crash halted southbound traffic for upwards of an hour.
“Right about 7:10 a.m. as I approached the MMMBT, the traffic started to slow and once I got up to that hill on the bridge, traffic pretty much stopped,” Caitlin Knox said.
When Knox saw the police and fire response as she waited in traffic, she immediately knew what happened.
“I’m a full-time police officer and part-time Coast Guard, so as soon as I saw the patrol boats heading over there, I kind of had a suspicion,” Knox said. “It’s unfortunate but living in a coastal area with a lot of waterways and bridges, accidents happen a lot around the water,” Knox stated.
The crash is still under investigation. There was no structural damage to the MMMBT.