New London ― Police and fire personnel responded Tuesday evening to two crashes on the southbound side of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge.

City of Groton Fire Capt. Chester Kaniecki said one person was transported to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.

State police around 5:10 p.m. said they were still fielding emergency calls from the bridge that started coming in a half hour earlier. All lanes of traffic were opened as of 5:50 p.m.

Kaniecki said there were three cars involved in the first crash and two in the second. The injured person from the second crash was transported to L+M by the New London Ambulance division.

Crews from the City of Groton Fire Department cleaned up a fluid spill of antifreeze and oil from the first crash. He said two cars had to be towed.

Kaniecki said Poquonnock Bridge Fire Department Chief Tim Driscoll was the first to respond to the crashes.

The crashes were on the opposite side from the expanse closed for hours Friday after emergency repairs were made to a deteriorated concrete gap that spilled debris on the span and led to massive delays around the region during rush hour.

Kaniecki acknowledged the fire departments try to avoid parking multiple 80,000-pound tower ladder trucks on the same span from expansion joint to expansion joint due to weight concerns on the bridge. But he said that wasn’t an issue Tuesday night since the crashes were far enough apart.

e.regan@theday.com