A woman from Queen Anne's County, Maryland, was arrested on charges including driving under the influence of alcohol after police say she caused a 23-car crash on the Bay Bridge in January, authorities say.
The stunning crash caused "a series of secondary crashes," leading to a total of 43 damaged cars and an hourslong closure of the westbound span of the bridge, News4 reported.
Gwendolyn Persina, 48, is being held at the Queen Anne's County Detention Center, the Maryland Transportation Authority said Thursday afternoon.
According to police, Persina was driving at high speeds over the Bay Bridge in Queen Anne's County the morning of Jan. 27, the MDTA said. Officers believe she struck another vehicle, causing a chain-reaction crash involving dozens of cars.
Officers responded to the 23-vehicle crash on the westbound span of the bridge just after 7:45 that Saturday morning.
Chopper4 footage showed the pileup of cars that remained hours later.
Eleven people were hospitalized and a twelfth person taken to the hospital had life-threatening injuries, the MDTA said in a release.
After a monthslong investigation into the crash involving Persina and her blue 2018 Honda Civic, police arrested Persina.
She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license, causing life-threatening injuries by driving under the influence and other charges that were not specified.
