Maryland

Woman charged with DUI after 23-car crash on Bay Bridge

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 in January

NewsChopper4

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.

@nbcwashington

A stunning crash involving at least 18 vehicles on the Bay Bridge in Maryland has closed all westbound lanes, and backed up traffic on U.S. Route 50 for miles. No deaths have been reported, but "multiple patients have been transported to area hospitals," according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. The crash took place just before 8 a.m., but this footage from NewsChopper4 showed part of the pileup on the west span of the bridge, still being cleared nearly five hours later. 🔗 Get the latest updates at the link in bio. baybridge baybridgecrash us50 route50 drivers traffic washingtondc maryland virginia pgcounty dc districtofcolumbia dmv northernvirginia alexandriava northernva arlingtonva fairfaxcounty nova md mocomd pgcountymd

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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.

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