GROSSE TETE – Four semis were involved in a nasty crash on I-10 near the West Baton Rouge/Iberville parish line early Monday morning.

The crash left two people dead and closed I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge for hours – until lunchtime.

State Police identified the deceased as Alex Willett, 55, of Orange, Texas, and John Mack, 53, of Beaumont, TX. Authorities said Willett was driving an 18-wheeler with Mack as the passenger when Willett failed to stop for traffic that slowed due to a previous wreck. Willett rear-ended another semi, which caused a chain reaction crash that eventually smashed three others, leaving one on its side. The cab of the truck Willett and Mack were in was left so crushed, it was nearly unrecognizable.

The drivers of each of the other rigs – three others – were injured. Authorities said their injuries ranged from minor to moderate. None of those involved in the crash were from Louisiana.

Despite the crash happening on the east side of the Basin, authorities closed I-10 at I-49 in Lafayette and diverted traffic around the I-10 Basin Bridge using US Highway 190. The morning-long closure resulted in massive traffic jams.

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