A man jumped from the “Dolly Parton” bridge on Interstate 65 Tuesday to escape injury in a multi-vehicle crash that blocked northbound lanes on the highway in Baldwin County.
The incident happened at about 6:27 a.m. Tuesday on Interstate 65 near the 28 mile marker at the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge.
According to the Alabama Department of Transportation, the incident involved three eighteen wheelers, six cars and one truck with a box trailer.
The collision left several people injured, but with no fatalities.
Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division are investigating.
An ALEA spokesman said a man, who was a passenger in one of the vehicles, exited his vehicle and then jumped from the bridge to escape further injury, as vehicles continued to collide.
“He panicked,” the spokesman said. “He was operating in a kind of self-preservation state and didn’t want to get hit by another vehicle. He landed in a grassy, muddy area that wasn’t that far down.”
Crossroad Volunteer Fire Department rescued the man, who was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
By 11:15 a.m., both northbound lanes were again open.
