A truck smashed through a railing and drove off eastbound Interstate 10 near the Esplanade Avenue exit in New Orleans on Thursday afternoon, closing several nearby roadways and drawing police, fire crews and EMS to the scene. The crash happened near the intersection of Claiborne and St. Bernard avenues, close to Circle Food Market, where a dozen bystanders gathered outside after the truck fell.
Emergency Crews Swarm the Scene
NOPD, EMS and the New Orleans Fire Department all responded to the crash, according to Fox 8, which cited an NOPD spokesperson in reporting that a truck apparently drove off the interstate near the Esplanade exit. New Orleans police are investigating the crash, according to NOLA.com, which reported that the truck smashed into a railing before going off the highway.
Fox 8 reported that the truck's driver and passenger were hospitalized in stable condition, and that the truck struck an unoccupied SUV and spilled construction material. The crash damaged the truck, railing and roadway, and officials planned to check the interstate's structural integrity, according to the same NOLA.com account. NOFD sources indicated a fuel spill was involved in the crash, according to NOLA.com's reporting.
Roads Closed, Drivers Told to Detour
Several road segments were shut down in the immediate aftermath. Claiborne Avenue at Columbus Street eastbound, I-10 eastbound at Esplanade, and I-10 eastbound at Columbus Street were all closed to traffic until further notice, officials said. Motorists were advised to take alternate routes and avoid the area entirely while crews worked the scene.
Traffic status shifted as the afternoon went on. At one point the left eastbound lane at North Claiborne Avenue reopened while the two right lanes remained blocked because of the crash, the station's report noted, with congestion continuing to back up at Canal Boulevard. An April 30, 2026, post from NOLA_Traffic on X
said all lanes were open on I-10 East before North Claiborne Avenue and that congestion had become minimal. The post predates Thursday's crash.
A Familiar Stretch of Highway Trouble
Thursday's crash adds to a string of vehicles-over-the-edge incidents that have rattled New Orleans drivers in recent years. In May 2025, a truck overturned and was left hanging over an I-10 ramp in Mid-City, according to WWL-TV. Months earlier, in January 2025, a crash on the I-10 Twin Span sent a vehicle into the lake and partially closed the westbound bridge, as reported by NOLA.com.
Police said the truck swerved to avoid a crash, causing it to go over the barrier. The driver and passenger were hospitalized in stable condition. NOPD's investigation continues, and drivers in the Esplanade and Claiborne corridor should expect lingering delays until officials confirm the roadway is fully clear.
