Lyon said the severity of the wreck caused AMR to adopt its mass casualty plan and bring in 30 off duty paramedics.
A bus driven by a team with Billings Logan International Airport Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting brought an initial group of travelers stranded on the bridge to MetraPark, where Yellowstone County’s Disaster and Rescue Services had a liaison center Friends or family. Lyon said some of the paramedics called in met with those who were taken to the MetraPark to assess possible injuries.
One of these travelers, Bella Contreraz, was on her way to her job in Billings when she crossed the bridge. She said she stepped on the brakes when she saw vehicles stop in front of her. Another oncoming truck hit her vehicle and left her hanging on the side of the bridge. Another driver, she said, helped her escape by prying open her door.
“It was like bumper cars,” she said.
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Rescue workers are attending to a person who fell from Yellowstone Bridge after a massive pile up on I-90 heading west on Yellowstone Bridge near Lockwood on Saturday, February 27, 2021.
RYAN BERRY, Billings Gazette
Lyon said that even after that one group left on a bus, about a dozen people were still trapped in their vehicles. The Wreckers cleared the way for most to escape safely, but two passengers in two vehicles had to be freed with the Jaws of Life.
Two subsequent buses, one with MET Transit and one with BFD, brought the remaining travelers off the bridge. A crew from the Montana Department of Transportation cleared the bridge of lingering ice and made sure the wreck did not cause structural damage. Respondents also included MPs from the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.
