Driverless Car? Wild Crash Snarls Traffic Near Mid-Hudson Bridge

I believe I witnessed the start of a crash that's now causing a traffic nightmare during the early Wednesday morning commute.

It appeared a driverless car crashed and put down power lines on Route 9W just before the Mid-Hudson Bridge.

Mid-Hudson Bridge, City of Poughkeepsie, Poughkeepsie Waterfront, Hudson River — PATRICK TEWEY

As some readers know, I'm a part of the WPDH morning show. That means I'm up around 4 a.m. and on the road around 5 a.m. For the majority of the year, I drive to work in the dark.

For all the news that the Hudson Valley is sharing, make sure to follow Hudson Valley Post on Facebook, and download the Hudson Valley Post Mobile App

This morning, as I was approaching the Mid-Hudson Bridge on 9W in Ulster County, I noticed a car with flashing lights on in the left lane. This happened just past the gas station and Walgreens, before the bridge.

I moved into the right lane, and as I got close to the vehicle, I noticed a person reaching for something on the road, near the double-yellow lanes.

At the exact moment, I also noticed the sedan kept slowly driving in a diagonal direction. I had to swerve a little bit to avoid it.

In my rear-view mirror, I saw the car continue slowly moving in a diagonal direction, towards a grassy area. It appeared that there was no one driving the car, but I can't confirm that.

I didn't see any crash, but later this morning an accident in that exact area was confirmed by multiple sources.

Accident Confirmed

This morning our WPDH traffic reporter confirmed the incident. She tells us that "a car hit a pole and wires came down" on 9W South, south of Mid-Hudson Bridge.

511 NY also confirms the accident.

"Crash with injuries and Downed wires on US 9W southbound at Meyer Dr (Lloyd); alternate lanes of 1 lane blocked," The 511 warning about the accident currently states. "Alternate lanes blocked."

511 NY and Google Maps are currently showing lots of traffic in the area. My GPS actually is telling me to avoid trying to get to the bridge.

In hindsight, maybe I should have stayed. But again, I didn't witness a crash, just a car oddly slowly driving in a diagonal direction. And in show business they say "the show must go on." I was only thinking about getting to work on time for the start of the morning show.

I hope everyone is alright. And anyone reading this early Wednesday morning, it's probably best to avoid the area until the accident is cleared up.