A 65-year-old Slidell, Louisiana, woman was killed Wednesday night in a violent multi-vehicle crash on the I-10 Bayway in Baldwin County, turning an already tense stretch of interstate into a shutdown crime scene.
The collision happened around 9:15 p.m. near the U.S. 90 exit, about a mile west of the Daphne city limits, when the car she was driving was hit and shoved into a tractor-trailer. Two other people were seriously hurt and had to be airlifted to area hospitals.
According to WALA (FOX10), the victim was identified as Carolyn J. Hunt-Loga, 65, of Slidell. Investigators say her 2015 Mazda 6 was struck by a 2018 Dodge 3500 driven by 21-year-old Benito Sanchez of Henderson, Texas. The impact pushed the Mazda into a 2011 Kenworth tractor-trailer. Sanchez and a passenger in the Mazda, identified as 67-year-old Barbara E. Hunt of Dedham, Massachusetts, were flown to hospitals with serious injuries. Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Highway Patrol Division are handling the investigation.
Bayway Woes Fuel Talk of Long-Delayed Fix
The wreck happened on the notoriously tight and congested stretch of I-10 locals simply call the "Bayway," a corridor that has seen heavy traffic and more than its share of serious crashes over the years. The long-discussed plan to replace and widen the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway is supposed to ease that pressure, but funding and scheduling issues have repeatedly pushed the project back, as reported by Lagniappe.
The Federal Highway Administration currently lists the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway as an active project, according to the FHWA Alabama Division.
Investigators Still Piecing It Together
Troopers said the crash occurred just after 9:15 p.m. and that a determination about what caused the collision has not yet been released, according to WALA (FOX10). ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division continues to collect evidence and interview witnesses as the investigation moves forward.
