Maine Interstate Pileup: Nearly 30 Cars Involved In 'Chain Reaction Crash'

A Maine interstate was shut down Tuesday after a massive car pileup left several drivers injured and caused traffic delays for nearly four hours, police said. There were no fatalities.

The crash occurred 7:45 a.m. during the morning rush hour drive on the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 near Carmel, Maine. A collision occurred between multiple vehicles that caused a “chain reaction crash” and ended in a pileup involving nearly 30 cars. The crash shutdown northbound I-95 as emergency responders worked to clear the scene, evacuate anyone injured in the crash, and identify a cause for the crash.

Investigators said early results point to the “blinding sun” playing a part in starting the crash.

“Several hundred motorists have been stranded behind the crash site and troopers and the Maine Department of Transportation are making plans to utilize a crossover to get those vehicles turned around,” Maine State Police said in a statement. “Initial reports say blinding sun may have caused the first crash about 7:45 AM, and then several other vehicles collided in a chain reaction. A team of troopers and a fleet of wreckers are on scene to clear the road of the wrecked vehicles and the northbound side is expected to remain closed until – at least – noon.”

Traffic had to be diverted to Newport, Maine, as cleanup was underway while additional aid was sent from Bangor, Maine.

At least one person needed to be airlifted from the scene and rushed to a hospital in Bangor for treatment. Eastern Maine Medical Center also said it was expecting nine to 13 patients injured in the crash.

Authorities reopened I-95 around noon after almost four hours of cleanup.