A massive car accident in Elmwood which injured a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy and several people, caused deputies to close part of South Clearview Parkway for several hours.
It happened at about 10:45 a.m. Monday morning in the 1100 block of South Clearview Parkway near the Elmwood shopping center.
According to a JPSO report, “There is a traffic light down and damaged fire hydrant. It will take some time to clear the damage and the roadway will be affected for some time. We are encouraging motorists to avoid the area and take alternate routes to their destinations.”
Authorities say it appears a JPSO patrol vehicle was rear-ended and forced across the median, triggering a chain reaction of vehicle accidents. Several people have been injured and transported to local hospitals for treatment. Their condition is unknown at this time.
“We believe the driver had a medical incident that caused the foot on the accelerator and hit four different vehicles, so I’ll have four different vehicles involved, including his own,” said Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto. “He hit one JPSO deputy from behind, but these vehicles took out whole-bunch-of fire hydrants, street lights, crosswalk lights, yield signs, street signs.”
Lopinto says at one point the vehicle that caused the chain reaction went airborne before coming to a final rest under a shopping mall sign.
The deputy involved in the crash suffered a broken hand and was taken to the hospital for treatment.