The St. Patrick’s Day celebration kicked off Friday night on a depressing note, when a head-on collision on the Back River bridge, just north of the Talmadge Bridge, closed both lanes over the Savannah River for several hours.

The three-vehicle wreck happened when a car headed from South Carolina toward Savannah attempted to pass another car. The driver of that car, John David Maney, 54, of the 100 block of Stafford Road, was transported to Memorial University Medical Center after the 7:06 p.m. collision. He is listed in critical condition.

His Ford Escort was headed south on U.S. 17 toward the Talmadge Memorial Bridge when the Escort crossed the center line and collided with a Ford Explorer SUV being driven northbound by a Savannah woman.