I-10 eastbound lane reopened after morning crash

Interstate 10 eastbound near East Washington Street was reopened about 5 p.m. Monday after a morning crash closed it, affecting thousands of drivers, a police spokesman said.

The crash, which occurred at 8:40 am., involved a privately owned tractor-trailer hauling trash, Sgt. Don Kelly said in a news release.

As the tractor-trailer entered the interstate from the Louise Street on-ramp, a white car cut in front of it, causing the driver of the 18-wheeler to swerve and strike an East Baton Rouge Parish Department of Public Works dump truck, Kelly said.

The 18-wheeler flipped onto its side, spilling its load of trash, and the dump truck left the roadway, coming to a rest in a wooded area, Kelly said.

Neither truck driver was injured.

The car that caused the wreck did not stop, Kelly said. It is described as a late model white four-door Pontiac with dark, tinted windows.

The subsequent cleanup and vehicle recovery operation caused intermittent lane closures on I-10 throughout the morning and afternoon, Kelly said.

Anyone with information on the vehicle or its driver is urged to contact the police Hit and Run Division at [phone] or Crime Stoppers at [phone].