Sunday morning usually means quiet streets and coffee. Not today. If you’ve been trying to get through San Antonio or Southern Maryland, you’ve basically spent your morning staring at brake lights. We’re tracking a series of major incidents that have turned several key highways into parking lots.
A massive breaking news car accident today on I-35 South in San Antonio has caused delays of over an hour. It’s a mess. Honestly, the images coming from TxDOT cameras show a sea of red lights stretched back for miles. Emergency crews are on the scene near O’Connor Road, and the stop-and-go traffic is currently backed up all the way to the 1604 Loop.
The I-35 Chaos in San Antonio
Traffic is moving at a literal crawl. We’re talking 3 to 7 miles per hour. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the crash happened around 2:00 p.m. at Exit 169. If you're heading south, you've probably noticed that SigAlert is showing deep red lines across the entire map for that sector.
There’s no word yet on exactly how many vehicles were involved, but the sheer volume of first responders suggests it wasn't just a simple fender bender. This follows another major crash earlier this morning near Burbank on I-35, where two lanes had to be completely shuttered while police cleared debris.
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It’s been a rough 24 hours for Texas roads. Just yesterday, a 38-year-old man, Kornell Bennett, was tragically identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner as the victim of a head-on collision on Walzem Road. People are shaken. You can feel the tension on the road today.
Head-On Collision on the Benedict Bridge
Switching gears to the East Coast, Maryland is dealing with its own nightmare. Around 10:12 a.m. today, a head-on crash shut down the Benedict Bridge on MD 231. This is a narrow span over the Patuxent River, so when something goes wrong there, there’s nowhere for traffic to go.
First responders found two men who had managed to get out of their cars, but they weren't in good shape. One had a nasty leg fracture and was going into shock. Both were rushed to UM Capital Region Medical Center. When you're dealing with a bridge crash, the logistics are just harder. Everything is tighter. The drawbridge section near the middle of the span was the focal point of the wreckage.
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More Incidents from a Violent Weekend
- Chicago: A deadly two-vehicle crash involving a Jeep and a Saturn closed the outbound Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) early this morning. One person was ejected and died at the scene.
- Maine: In Falmouth, a 19-year-old woman from Connecticut lost her life after her Subaru hit a guardrail on the Falmouth Spur. State Police think the weather was the main culprit.
- New Jersey: A tragic scene in Harrison Township where a 72-year-old track coach and his wife died after their SUV accelerated into a home and sparked a fire.
Why Today Felt So Different
Is it the weather? Maybe just bad luck? Honestly, it’s a bit of both. In the Northeast and Midwest, lingering winter conditions are making the pavement slicker than it looks. In San Antonio, the sheer volume of Sunday travelers combined with high-speed interchanges on I-35 is a recipe for disaster.
The breaking news car accident today in various states highlights a weird trend we've been seeing: a spike in "entrapment" calls. That's when firefighters have to use the "Jaws of Life" to cut someone out of a car. We saw it in White Plains, Maryland, last night on Bensville Road where a three-vehicle rollover left people trapped in the dark.
What to Do if You’re Caught in the Gridlock
If you are stuck behind one of these scenes right now, the best thing you can do is stay in your car. It’s tempting to hop out and see what’s going on, but that just makes it harder for ambulances to weave through the shoulder.
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- Check Waze or Google Maps immediately. If you haven't hit the "point of no return" on the highway, take the exit. Even a long detour through side streets is better than sitting for 60 minutes.
- Avoid the rubbernecking. In San Antonio, a lot of the secondary delays are actually caused by people slowing down to look at the crash on the other side of the median.
- Watch for "Sand Trucks." After fiery crashes like the one in Waldorf or the rollover in White Plains, crews have to spread sand to soak up oil and fluids. This makes the road incredibly slippery even after the cars are towed.
Looking Ahead at Road Safety
The investigation into the I-35 crash is still very much active. Police haven't released names yet, as they are likely still notifying families. It’s a sobering reminder that a "quick trip" can change in a second.
For those in Maryland, the Benedict Bridge is eventually going to reopen, but expect residual delays for the next few hours. The Prince George's and Charles County authorities are still on-site doing reconstruction work to figure out why those two cars hit head-on in the first place.
Next Steps for Drivers Today:
Check your local DOT Twitter or "X" feed before getting behind the wheel this evening. If you're in San Antonio, avoid I-35 South near O'Connor Road entirely. If you're in Southern Maryland, use the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge as an alternative to the Benedict Bridge until at least 9:00 p.m. to ensure the scene is fully cleared of debris and emergency vehicles. Stay off your phone while driving—no "breaking news" update is worth the risk of becoming the next headline.