Barge Accident... Barge hits bridge throwing cars into water...Read!

CNN:

A barge struck a bridge over the Arkansas River along Interstate 40 on Sunday morning, collapsing a 400-foot section of the bridge in eastern Oklahoma and throwing cars and trucks 100 feet down into the river.

An initial report from the scene indicated nine cars and seven tractor-trailers were in the water. The highway was shut down in both directions. At least five people were injured. The bridge collapsed around 7:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. EDT) about 40 miles from the border with Arkansas.

I-40 is the major east-west route through Oklahoma. "This bridge carries all the traffic from Arkansas west," said Sgt. Jarrett Johnson of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. "There are probably thousands of cars that travel over this bridge every day."

Ched Wetz of the Muskogee Medical Center said four people had been brought to his facility, one in critical condition. Wetz said more patients were en route. The hospital is about 25 miles from the scene.

Wetz said one patient treated for facial injuries described what happened to him. "He said he was driving along and next thing he knew there was no pavement under him," Wetz said.

One patient was in stable condition at a hospital in Sallisaw, a spokesman said.

Lt. Chris West of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said emergency teams from across the region were responding to the accident.

Authorities were interviewing the captain of the barge to determine what happened, Johnson said.

"I'm sure it probably was an accident," said Webbers Falls Mayor Jewell Horn. "But we know nothing. All we're trying to do is rescue these people right now."

Webbers Fall City Hall opened to aid in the rescue effort, she said. "We're doing all we can do right at the present time."

The weather was not favorable for rescues, with a complex of thunderstorms beginning to roll through the area after the collapse, said CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. Temperatures were in the mid-60s as a team of scuba divers was preparing to enter the river.

The U.S. Coast Guard had a cutter on the scene by late morning and was sending a strike team of about 15 people trained in pollution and disaster response, said Cmdr. Jim McPherson.

Johnson said Department of Transportation engineers were checking another bridge on U.S. 64 near Webbers Falls.

"We'll be trying to divert traffic onto that highway," he said. "We're just checking to make sure it was not damaged as well."

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/05/26/barge.bridge/index.html

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