Tractor-trailer hits Jersey wall, spins around at Outer Loop’s ‘Big Curve’

A tractor-trailer struck the Jersey wall on the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway in Bethesda on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. (Courtesy Montgomery County Fire & Rescue)

The Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway in Bethesda, Maryland, completely reopened around 6:22 a.m. Wednesday, after a tractor-trailer struck the Jersey wall near the “Big Curve,” spun around and dumped fuel on the interstate.

The crash at the “Big Curve” above the Interstate 270 Spur occurred around 3:50 a.m., and at one point shut the highway down before traffic got by on the right shoulder, backing up traffic during the light morning commute.



No one was injured as the tractor-trailer driver crashed and the vehicle caught fire, according to tweets from Montgomery County Fire and & Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer.

Piringer urged drivers to slow down because roads are slick.

The “Big Curve” is a notorious location for Outer Loop crashes, especially tractor-trailers.

On April 30, at least five tractor-trailers crashed at that location — including two that ended with a jackknifed trucks.

With so many people working from home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, traffic has been lighter around the region. At the same time, police have seen a dramatic rise in excessive speeding around the region.

The crash is the latest on the Outer Loop of the Beltway. The tractor-trailer ended up facing the wrong way. (Courtesy Montgomery County Fire & Rescue/Pete Piringer)

A second crash — a head-on collision — involved a a tractor-trailer hauling stone on East Gude Drive near Display Court in Montgomery County.

Colleen Kelleher

Colleen Kelleher is an award-winning journalist who has been with WTOP since 1996. Kelleher joined WTOP as the afternoon radio writer and night and weekend editor and made the move to WTOP.com in 2001. Now she works early mornings as the site's Senior Digital Editor.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up