A crash involving a big rig shut down I-80 Eastbound at the Spaghetti Bowl for several hours on Friday.
"This was a pretty big deal," said Battalion Chief Mike Pilcher of the Reno Fire Department. "There were multiple vehicles and a tractor-trailer that overturned, blocking all four eastbound lanes."
It happened around 2:30 p.m. and while the big rig was the one blocking traffic, police say it wasn't the one that caused the crash.
"Many people assume it's the commercial vehicle's fault but in this case it's not; he was a victim of the crash," said Trooper Matt McLaughlin of the Nevada Highway Patrol. "It sounds like this is what we consider a chain reaction crash, so one vehicle made an unsafe lane change, an evasive maneuver caused one vehicle to over correct and we had other vehicles that crashed as a result of that."
Seven vehicles were involved and multiple people were stuck inside of their cars.
"We had one extrication with a critical patient," Pilcher said. "Our truck crew was blocked a quarter mile down the road so we had to haul our gear in to accomplish that task but we got him out in a pretty good amount of time and the last I heard, that patient is stable."
Police say none of the injuries were life threatening. Still, hospitals were put on high alert.
"We created an MCIÂ because we had greater than ten patients," Pilcher said. "We set up an EMS branch with triage and treatment. The initial engine company couldn't even access it from the eastbound lanes, we stopped in the westbound, pulled some suppression lines, made an initial assessment and established unified command with NHP."
After the wreckage was cleared crews worked to right the cab of the semi. Then they hauled it to the side of the road so they could clean the highway and reopen three lanes of I-80. The next task - unloading a trailer full of enchilada sauce.
"The Washoe County Health Department is going to take a look at the cargo and make sure it's safe for consumption and further transport," Pilcher said.
It took a few more hours to reopen the I-580 on-ramp due to a fuel spill.
"One spark can start a fire, the whole cargo can become involved and that can become a bigger problem," Pilcher said. "So we always take measures to provide mitigation with suppression, we pull lines, we get apparatus in place with water and if we need more we order more."
McLaughlin says the NHP is in the middle of a distracted driving campaign and this is an instance in which paying attention can make a big difference.
"We don't call these accidents, we call them crashes," he said. "Because they're all preventable. Pay attention. Put down your distractions, keep an eye on the road ahead of you and always wear your seat belt."
