Blinding sun may have caused massive 30-car crash on Maine interstate

At least one person was seriously injured.

January 7, 2020, 10:34 AM

Blinding sun may have caused a massive crash involving about 30 cars on a Maine interstate Tuesday morning, state authorities said.

The chain reaction accident was on Interstate 95 in Carmel.

PHOTO: A truck involved in a multi-vehicle crash on I-95 near Carmel, Maine, sits on the shoulder of the highway, Jan. 7, 2020.
A truck involved in a multi-vehicle crash on I-95 near Carmel, Maine, sits on the shoulder of the highway, Jan. 7, 2020.
Gina Marini/ WVII

Some people were injured, including one person who was hurt seriously and transported to a hospital via helicopter, said Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

The crash has closed the northbound lanes of the interstate, stranding several hundred drivers, said McCausland.

A team of troopers and a fleet of wreckers have responded to help clear wrecked cars from the roadway.

Initial reports say blinding sun may have caused the first crash at about 7:45 a.m., before other cars collided in a chain reaction, said McCausland.

It's also possible that the interstate was coated in a thin layer of ice. The temperature was near zero and a light snow shower moved through the area shortly before the crash.

ABC News' Max Golembo contributed to this report.