A Corpus Christi woman died after the car she was riding in crashed into the back of an 18-wheeler early Friday morning on the Nueces Bay Causeway.

Sara Patrick, 25, had severe injuries to the head and chest and died at the scene.

She was a front-seat passenger in a Mercedes Benz C230 driven on northbound U.S. Highway 181 by Jeffry Herzog, a 28-year-old Portland resident.

Herzog was taken to Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial with non life-threatening injuries.

The 18-wheeler the Mercedes hit was stopped in the center lane because of another accident involving a Ford Explorer and a Chevrolet Tahoe.

The accidents occurred about 2 a.m. after the Explorer struck the Tahoe from behind, causing the Tahoe to spin and stop in the center lane.

The driver of the Explorer fled on foot toward Portland and was not located, according to a police brief.

After the driver of the 18-wheeler went to aid the Tahoe's passengers, the Mercedes struck the back of the truck, causing the passenger side of the Mercedes to go under the back of the trailer. There were no skid marks from the Mercedes, according to the brief.

Traffic was diverted at the Beach Avenue exit, and northbound lanes of the causeway were blocked for about four hours.

The driver of the Mercedes remains at Spohn Memorial. An investigation is ongoing, according to the police.