‘Very tragic, very sad’: One person died following crash into water at MMMBT

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — One person has died following a two-vehicle crash Monday morning. The crash 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 reports two cars crashed around 6:58 a.m.

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, 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 just before 3 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,” said Lewis.

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.”

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