Two wrecks snarl traffic along U.S. 98, block Marler Bridge Wednesday (PHOTOS)

You might as well have called Wednesday “waiting Wednesday” in Destin as motorists found themselves idle on U.S. 98 for a good portion of the afternoon as two wrecks had traffic snarled up as far back as downtown Destin.

The first wreck happened shortly after 1 p.m. when emergency responders were called to a two-vehicle accident with a rollover near the foot of the Marler Bridge, across from McGuire’s Irish Pub and the Emerald Grande. Both eastbound and westbound traffic was flowing, but limited as crews had to use the Jaws of Life to remove four older persons.

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SCENE, CLICK HERE.

Destin Fire Control District Battalion Chief Mike Urenda told The Log at the scene that three out of the four people in the vehicle were transported to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center with “minor injuries.”

According to eyewitness Ryan Cooper, a Dodge Ram pickup truck was traveling westbound when it hit a Ford SUV and caused it to rollover. The driver of the Dodge was a younger male.

“When he locked up, you could hear it,” Cooper said.

The wreck was cleaned up and traffic was flowing shortly after 2 p.m., but that didn’t last long as motorists would find themselves waiting again.

At about 2:45 p.m., a moving truck and a cargo truck collided on the Marler Bridge, once again bringing traffic to a stop in Destin.

The driver of the cargo truck, William Nodhturft, was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast with minor injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A news release from the FHP says Nodhturft was slowing down to pull off the roadway due to mechanical trouble when Timmy Aucoin hit his rear end, causing the wreck.

Lt. Brian Christenson from the Destin Fire Control District told The Log westbound traffic had been blocked due to a “possible” fuel leak. As emergency crews worked the scene, all westbound traffic was routed down the other side (eastbound) of the Marler Bridge.

The westbound portion of the bridge was blocked for about 90 minutes. All lanes on the Marler Bridge were reopened by about 5:30 p.m.

It’s not very often that the Marler Bridge is shut down due to a wreck, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. When The Log asked the agency when the last time the bridge had been blocked off due to a traffic crash, they ran all of their crashes by “Marler” since 2002 and didn’t come back with anything that required the bridge to be closed.