GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A thirty vehicle crash took place Tuesday morning around 7:45 a.m. on the Leo Frigo Bridge.
“We have minor injuries up to and including broken bones,” explains Commander Kevin Warych, with the Green Bay Police Department.
The department is thankful that broken bones and busted cars were the only results of the massive wreck, which required the assistance of multiple agencies.
“We work very closely with all the surrounding agencies to make sure that we have mutual aid requests,” he explains. “To understand that if an emergency arises anywhere in the city that we have the ability to respond just like any other day.”
All lanes of I-43 on the bridge were closed throughout the morning as officials processed the crash scene.
Commander Warych says city buses were sent to the bridge to keep those involved in the crash warm while aid was rendered.
“We also called in more officers from off-duty and responded not only to this crash site, but to respond to other calls in the city,” says Commander Warych.
The series of crashes began on the bridge at around 7:45 a.m., while the exact nature of what and/or who caused the collisions to occur is unknown.
A video of the collisions has been released by the state Department of Transportation, which will be closely examined by the police department.
“We’re going to examine that video second by second and really understand how that crash occurred,” he says.
The exact number of individuals injured in the crash is unknown, but officers agree that a wreck of this size had the potential to be much worse.
“We heard that six people were transported,” explains Commander Warych. “We know that there are other minor injuries, some people self-transported through family members taking them to the hospital.”
The lucky ones were able to escape the wreck with their cars untouched and most importantly their own health unscathed.
Niki Petit was one of those fortunate individuals, but she was not immune to witnessing the disturbing scenes happening right next to her.
“People were slumped over steering wheels, one gentleman got out of his car and almost tumbled over,” she says. “Another gentleman got out of his car and was slumped over trying to get air.”
In fact, she was lucky to escape a similar outcome considering the traffic around her started to fall in a sort of domino effect.
“The car in front of me hit the car in front of him, the car on the right hit a car, it was a chain reaction and I saw accidents happening all around,” says Petit.
At that time she thought immediately to call for help.
That’s when I realized the impact and I called 911,” she explains. “I think I was the first to call, the lady hadn’t heard anything and said help was coming immediately.”
Fortunately, people involved in the wreck didn’t panic and properly waited for emergency personnel to arrive on the scene.
“I think everyone remained relatively calm,” says Assistant Chief Robert Goplin, with Green Bay Metro Fire. “It’s kind of a situation where, for the most part, people stayed in their cars.”
While it may seem insignificant, he says it can be the difference between surviving a wreck and becoming a casualty.
“You just never know if people see you or not,” he explains. “It’s best to stay in the car.”
The department is asking that if anyone has any dash cam video of the crash before, during, or afterward to please contact Officer Jerry Young at the Green Bay Police Department.
