John Matthews
WMAL.com

GERMANTOWN, MD — A tractor-trailer carrying stones and gravel lost its load in an early morning crash on southbound I-270 near Germantown early morning, sparking a chain collission involving at least 14 vehicles, according to this Twitter report from Montgomery County’s chief fire spokesman:

Update – I270 btwn Middlebrook Rd & Montgomery Village Avenue, >20 vehicles involved, Tractor Trailer carrying stones/gravel collided losing load, other vehicles apparently could not avoid…..EMS declared MCI (Mass casualty Incident), some lanes BLOCKED

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) March 19, 2018

There were reports of as many as two dozen injuries – some with traumatic injuries – and calls were made for as many as 14 tow trucks to help clear the scene. The crash closed I-270, instantly created a several-mile backup, with only Rt. 355 as an alternate route.

CLOSED Sb 270 btwn 118 & 124 Tractor trailer & multiple vehicles involved #MDtraffic #SkyTrak7 #GMW pic.twitter.com/etl3EoLgTR

— Julie Wright (@thejuliewright) March 19, 2018

Copyright 2018 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: MCFRS/Pete Piringer)