Thursday update:
Bryan police reports the driver of the Hyundai that was in the first crash following the semi fire was transported to Scott and White Hospital in Temple where she remains in critical condition. Officers reported after the wreck the 28 year old woman was alert and walking around. After she was initially transported to a local hospital her condition became critical.
Original story:
A semi that caught fire, followed by two multivehicle crashes, closed the freeway in Bryan Wednesday afternoon.
Bryan police reported the trucker escaped injury after stopping the semi in the southbound lanes.
The fire and smoke from the semi contributed to both wrecks.
BPD reported the first took place in the southbound inside lane when the driver of a Hyundai car failed to slow down and struck a Chrysler car that struck a Nissan SUV. The driver of the Hyundai is hospitalized in critical condition, the driver of the Chrysler was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries, and the driver and three passengers in the Nissan were not transported.
The second collision was in the southbound outside lane. The driver of a Ford F-250 truck failed to control speed and struck a Toyota truck. The driver of the Toyota was taken to the hospital with injuries not believed to be life threatening.
The fire and wrecks on the freeway were in front of Sam Rayburn Middle School. Traffic was moved off the freeway to the frontage roads in both directions between the MLK/Old Reliance and WJB/Boonville exits. That contributed to a delay in Bryan ISD buses taking students home.
