Eastbound Interstate 20 in Van Zandt County could remain closed until at least Tuesday afternoon where a wrecked 18-wheeler cab is holding up an overpass.

The cab will remain in place until contractors can raise the bridge and examine the damage, said Larry Krantz, a spokesman for TxDOT’s Tyler district.

Eastbound traffic is being diverted onto the frontage road and back onto the highway. The eastbound lanes could be open as early as Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Krantz said.

At about 5:30 a.m., an 18-wheeler driven by Richard Hamilton Privette, 40, of Arlington, crashed into a bridge pillar at Turner-Hayden Road near Wills Point. The truck left the roadway and rode the guardrail before crashing and leaving the bridge sagging over the eastbound lanes, said state Trooper Jean Dark.

Shortly afterward, an 18-wheeler driven by Pablo Villarreal of Duncanville slammed into the first tractor trailer. It’s not clear whether Mr. Privette was in the truck cab when Mr. Villarreal’s truck crashed.

Mr. Privette was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Mr. Villarreal, 50 was taken to Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler. Neither man’s condition was available this afternoon.

By Monday afternoon, most of the wreckage had been cleared. The cab from the first wreck was left in place due to the instability of the bridge, Trooper Dark said.

Mr. Krantz said a contractor will jack up the bridge’s decking, and hopefully prevent the collapse of the bridge. Once the bridge is raised, officials will have a better idea of what repairs are needed.

Mr. Krantz said it’s unlikely the bridge will fall. One bridge column is crushed and another is cracked.

“If it does decide to go, it won’t fall on traffic,” he said.