Clearing up freeway car wrecks can lead to frustrations

Many of us find ourselves sharing our traffic frustrations through Facebook and Twitter, especially when a wreck appears to be non-serious.

In El Paso, one wreck on the freeway could cause back up for hours.

Monday morning, a five-vehicle wreck on Interstate 10 halted the morning rush extending the back up five miles.

For a couple of hours, three cars were left in the middle of the freeway, closing of three lanes.

“I never went more than five miles an hour and a lot of the time I was at a dead stop,” said driver Debi Wilson.

Several drivers shared the same story and wondered why the non-serious wrecks can’t be cleared up quickly.

El Paso Police spokesman, Detective Mike Baranyay said their main priority is safety and not time.

“Vehicles often times are damaged and sometimes a steering wheel gets stuck, and you just can’t push it,” said Baranyay.

The crews responsible for clearing up the scene also face challenges.

“The tow trucks have to come through the same traffic,” said Baranyay.

The police department doesn’t have the equipment to clean up debris and officers have to wait for a wrecker service to arrive with the proper tools.

The Texas Department of Transportation is notified when any part of the freeway is closed off.

A cause for Monday morning’s wreck has not been determined, officials say two people were taken to the hospital with injuries.