'Horrified' trucker watches I-5 bridge collapse behind him
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MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - The trucker was hauling a load of drilling equipment when his load bumped against the steel framework over an Interstate 5 bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched in horror as the span collapsed into the water behind him. Two vehicles fell into the icy Skagit River.
Amazingly, nobody was killed. The three people who fell into the water escaped with only minor injuries.
Officials are trying to find out whether the spectacular collapse of a bridge on one of the West's most important roadways was a fluke - or a sign of a bigger problem with thousands of bridges across the U.S.
Authorities focused first on trying to find a temporary span for the Skagit, although it won't come in time for the tens of thousands of Memorial Day vacationers who would travel between Canada and Seattle.
"You cannot overstate the importance of this corridor to Washington state," Gov. Jay Inslee said. Traffic on I-5 and surrounding roads was backed up for miles, a situation the governor said would continue indefinitely.
Officials were looking for a temporary, pre-fabricated bridge to replace the 160-foot section that failed, Inslee said Friday. If one is found, it could be in place in weeks. If not, it could be months before a replacement can be built, the governor said.
The spectacular collapse unfolded about 7 p.m. Thursday on the north end of the four-lane bridge near Mount Vernon, about 60 miles north of Seattle and 40 miles south of the Canada border.
"He looked in the mirrors and it just dropped out of sight," Cynthia Scott, the wife of truck driver William Scott, said from the couple's home near Spruce Grove, Alberta. "I spoke to him seconds after it happened. He was just horrified."
The truck driver works for Mullen Trucking in Alberta, the Washington State Patrol said. The tractor-trailer was hauling a housing for drilling equipment southbound when the top right front corner of the load struck several of the bridge's trusses, the patrol said.
Scott, 41, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. He voluntarily gave a blood sample for an alcohol test and was not arrested.
Scott, has been driving truck for 20 years and hauling specialized loads for more than 10.
"He gets safety awards, safety bonuses ... for doing all these checks, for hiring the right pilot cars and pole cars," his wife said.
Initially, it wasn't clear if the bridge just gave way on its own. But Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste blamed it on the too-tall load. The vertical clearance from the roadway to the beam is 14.6 feet.
The truck made it off the bridge, but two other vehicles went into the water about 25 feet below as the structure crumbled.
Dan Sligh and his wife were in their pickup heading to a camping trip when he said the bridge before them disappeared in a "big puff of dust."
"I hit the brakes and we went off," Sligh told reporters from a hospital.
Bryce Kenning, of Mount Vernon, said the bridge seemed to explode in front of him. The 20-year-old slammed the brakes and could see the edge of the pavement approaching, but there was nothing he could do.
"It was like time was frozen - like a roller coaster where you're not attached to the tracks," Kenning said in a phone interview. "I'm sure it was just one of the loudest sounds ever to hear this thing explode and fall into the water like that, but I didn't hear a thing. I just witnessed it happening in front of me."
Surveillance video shows collapse of Skagit River bridge
Ed Scherbinski, vice president of Mullen Trucking, said in an interview with The Associated Press that state officials had approved of the company's plan to drive the oversize load along I-5 to Vancouver, Wash., and the company hired a local escort to help navigate the route.
Mike Allende, a state Department of Transportation spokesman, confirmed the truck had a permit.
"We're still trying to figure out why it hit the bridge," Allende said. "It's ultimately up to the trucking company to figure out whether it can get through."
State officials approved the trucking company to carry a load as high as 15 feet, 9 inches, according to the permit released by the state. However, the southbound vertical clearance on the Skagit River bridge is as little as 14 feet, 9 inches, state records show. The bridge's curved overhead girders are higher in the center of the bridge but sweep lower toward a driver's right side.
The bridge has a maximum clearance of about 17 feet, but there is no signage to indicate how to safely navigate the bridge with a tall load.
The permit specifically describes the route the truck would take, though it includes a qualification that the state "Does Not Guarantee Height Clearance."
It's not rare for trucks to strike bridges in Washington state - it's just that such accidents don't usually cause the structures to collapse.
The state DOT said there were 21 bridge-strikes involving trucks last year, 24 in 2011 and 14 in 2010.
There were no signs leading up to the Skagit River bridge to warn about its clearance height. State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson said that under federal and state standards, the clearance is tall enough to not require signage.
Inslee said it will cost $15 million to repair the bridge. The federal government has already promised the state $1 million in emergency funding.
Traffic could be affected for some time. The bridge is used by an average of 71,000 vehicles a day, so the roadblock will cause a major disruption in trade and tourism.
The closest detour is a bridge about a quarter mile east of I-5, which is mostly used by local traffic between Mount Vernon and Burlington. Officials are also recommending detours using state Routes 20 and 9 that add dozens of miles to a trip.
The bridge that collapsed was inspected twice last year and repairs were made, Peterson said. It was not classified as structurally deficient, but a Federal Highway Administration database lists it as "functionally obsolete" - a category meaning that the design is outdated, such as having narrow shoulders and low clearance underneath.
The 1,112-foot-long bridge, with two lanes in each direction, has four spans, or sections, over the water supported by piers. It's a steel truss bridge, meaning it has a boxy steel frame.
The span on the north side is the one that collapsed.
The mishap was reminiscent of the August 2007 collapse of an I-35W bridge in Minneapolis that killed 13 people and injured another 145 when it buckled and fell into the Mississippi River during rush-hour.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the Minneapolis bridge failed because steel gusset plates that connected the structure's beams and girders were too thin.
Amazingly, nobody was killed. The three people who fell into the water escaped with only minor injuries.
Officials are trying to find out whether the spectacular collapse of a bridge on one of the West's most important roadways was a fluke - or a sign of a bigger problem with thousands of bridges across the U.S.
Authorities focused first on trying to find a temporary span for the Skagit, although it won't come in time for the tens of thousands of Memorial Day vacationers who would travel between Canada and Seattle.
"You cannot overstate the importance of this corridor to Washington state," Gov. Jay Inslee said. Traffic on I-5 and surrounding roads was backed up for miles, a situation the governor said would continue indefinitely.
Officials were looking for a temporary, pre-fabricated bridge to replace the 160-foot section that failed, Inslee said Friday. If one is found, it could be in place in weeks. If not, it could be months before a replacement can be built, the governor said.
The spectacular collapse unfolded about 7 p.m. Thursday on the north end of the four-lane bridge near Mount Vernon, about 60 miles north of Seattle and 40 miles south of the Canada border.
"He looked in the mirrors and it just dropped out of sight," Cynthia Scott, the wife of truck driver William Scott, said from the couple's home near Spruce Grove, Alberta. "I spoke to him seconds after it happened. He was just horrified."
The truck driver works for Mullen Trucking in Alberta, the Washington State Patrol said. The tractor-trailer was hauling a housing for drilling equipment southbound when the top right front corner of the load struck several of the bridge's trusses, the patrol said.
Scott, 41, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. He voluntarily gave a blood sample for an alcohol test and was not arrested.
Scott, has been driving truck for 20 years and hauling specialized loads for more than 10.
"He gets safety awards, safety bonuses ... for doing all these checks, for hiring the right pilot cars and pole cars," his wife said.
Initially, it wasn't clear if the bridge just gave way on its own. But Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste blamed it on the too-tall load. The vertical clearance from the roadway to the beam is 14.6 feet.
The truck made it off the bridge, but two other vehicles went into the water about 25 feet below as the structure crumbled.
Dan Sligh and his wife were in their pickup heading to a camping trip when he said the bridge before them disappeared in a "big puff of dust."
"I hit the brakes and we went off," Sligh told reporters from a hospital.
Bryce Kenning, of Mount Vernon, said the bridge seemed to explode in front of him. The 20-year-old slammed the brakes and could see the edge of the pavement approaching, but there was nothing he could do.
"It was like time was frozen - like a roller coaster where you're not attached to the tracks," Kenning said in a phone interview. "I'm sure it was just one of the loudest sounds ever to hear this thing explode and fall into the water like that, but I didn't hear a thing. I just witnessed it happening in front of me."
Surveillance video shows collapse of Skagit River bridge
Ed Scherbinski, vice president of Mullen Trucking, said in an interview with The Associated Press that state officials had approved of the company's plan to drive the oversize load along I-5 to Vancouver, Wash., and the company hired a local escort to help navigate the route.
Mike Allende, a state Department of Transportation spokesman, confirmed the truck had a permit.
"We're still trying to figure out why it hit the bridge," Allende said. "It's ultimately up to the trucking company to figure out whether it can get through."
State officials approved the trucking company to carry a load as high as 15 feet, 9 inches, according to the permit released by the state. However, the southbound vertical clearance on the Skagit River bridge is as little as 14 feet, 9 inches, state records show. The bridge's curved overhead girders are higher in the center of the bridge but sweep lower toward a driver's right side.
The bridge has a maximum clearance of about 17 feet, but there is no signage to indicate how to safely navigate the bridge with a tall load.
The permit specifically describes the route the truck would take, though it includes a qualification that the state "Does Not Guarantee Height Clearance."
It's not rare for trucks to strike bridges in Washington state - it's just that such accidents don't usually cause the structures to collapse.
The state DOT said there were 21 bridge-strikes involving trucks last year, 24 in 2011 and 14 in 2010.
There were no signs leading up to the Skagit River bridge to warn about its clearance height. State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson said that under federal and state standards, the clearance is tall enough to not require signage.
Inslee said it will cost $15 million to repair the bridge. The federal government has already promised the state $1 million in emergency funding.
Traffic could be affected for some time. The bridge is used by an average of 71,000 vehicles a day, so the roadblock will cause a major disruption in trade and tourism.
The closest detour is a bridge about a quarter mile east of I-5, which is mostly used by local traffic between Mount Vernon and Burlington. Officials are also recommending detours using state Routes 20 and 9 that add dozens of miles to a trip.
The bridge that collapsed was inspected twice last year and repairs were made, Peterson said. It was not classified as structurally deficient, but a Federal Highway Administration database lists it as "functionally obsolete" - a category meaning that the design is outdated, such as having narrow shoulders and low clearance underneath.
The 1,112-foot-long bridge, with two lanes in each direction, has four spans, or sections, over the water supported by piers. It's a steel truss bridge, meaning it has a boxy steel frame.
The span on the north side is the one that collapsed.
The mishap was reminiscent of the August 2007 collapse of an I-35W bridge in Minneapolis that killed 13 people and injured another 145 when it buckled and fell into the Mississippi River during rush-hour.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the Minneapolis bridge failed because steel gusset plates that connected the structure's beams and girders were too thin.
Well regardless of who is at fault, If I would have been behind that Truck it would have been "Excuse me while I crap my pants". Just lucky no one was killed or badly hurt. Â
It fell so fast! We have some very dangerous Canadian drivers up here in Bellingham and Whatcom county, but this takes the cake! (or should I say bridge?) Every time I drove on this bridge I hated how cramped, ugly and antiquated it was. We live in a beautiful state and should now build a better bridge than this "dinosaur". $17 million dollars for a "quick" fix is not the answer in the long run. As the main thoroughfare between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., we can do a lot better!  Cut the red tape, expedite the process and project, and let's build a beautiful and safe bridge, which will also withstand strong earthquakes.
I think there is alot of blame you can put on so many people on this.
I think first off should have been a height Sign.Â
Second if there was a sign I would throw some blame at the pilot car for not telling him to stay to the center due to height issue's.
Also the other truck forcing him to the right lane knowing full well we was driving a over sized load. was uncalled for. that truck driver should get some sort of ding on his license for that.Â
the pilot car should take some blame on this one. I know there was no sign but the point of the pilot car is to help prevent accidents like this.Â
Drive of the truck could have seen the lower clearance and refused to move over to the right side.Â
Overall I see lots of people to blame for the hit on this bridge.
Â
Canadian trucker, figures.
15 million??? OMG here comes another toll bridge.Â
I see a lot of stupidity all around but in the past decade or so I've lost a lot of my (former) respect for truckers. I see them flagrantly speeding, tailgating, hogging the fast lane when they don't need to and basically being bullies out there. The worst are the log haulers.  It used be that the bikers were the bad asses out there and truckers were the gentlemen on the highways. Now it's the other way around.
Truth is.... There is a lot of stupidity behind the wheel in these semi's today. Case in point, passing a wide load near a bridge. You want to see a scary sight.... Pull into a truck stop and take a look around and think about the next time you look into your mirror a see a grill.
@truthseeker Absolutely. I was raised in a truck driving family. Two generations of drivers, I chose not to because of how the people treat drivers today or rather mistreat them.
Yesterday I let a JB Hunt intermodal onto the highway ahead of me during rush hour and the car behind me proceeded to honk his horn angrily at me for it. No respect any longer. Oh the driver of the intermodal flashed his lights in appreciation so it was worth it.
@DarkRenegade @truthseeker California drivers actually show more respect for semi's than either Washington or Oregon. Usually have no problem getting on the freeway down there.
There are a lot of idiot semi drivers out there though. Most of the experienced drivers don't stay in the industry any longer than they have to, so you end up with a lot of over confident amateurs.
@DarkRenegade @Blindman Some of the regulations are just ridiculous and force drivers to break laws if they want to try and make a living wage. Did a lot of it myself to try and make a living. And it doesn't help when dispatchers put ridiculous appointment times for pickups and deliveries. There's a lot of drivers that should just work in the summer. A lot of them are incapable of driving in heavy weather.
@Blindman Partially true. Many of the experienced drivers are fed up with the constantly restrictions and regulations set by the Federal DOT which makes them feel stressed before they get into the cab.Â
If you get out of the Puget Sound area, the drivers are given more consideration by smaller vehicle drivers. I believe its just the mentality of the area.
yep the old school respect of the everything around a trucker is gone! Even among other truckers.
I love all the armchair architects and engineers.
@cubicleman do u drive truck?
yes ur right, but we get pinched by 4wheelrs, but to have a fellow trucker pinch u, well that is what happened, an that trucker had to save 2 seconds of his life! ,I've  rolled through there a bunch of times over 26 years of driving an whatever is in front of the oversize they get the right of way to me no matter what, anywhere!!! WSP needs to track down the driver of the truck that pinched him an make him pay for everything, and give the trucker a ticket for STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES!!!! Bottom line is, Not Mullens Trucking FAULT!!!!
The bridge has a max clearance of 17 feet, but the curved ends only about 14.6. Had this driver been in the center, no hit would have happened, but there was another truck in the left passing and the OS load carrier could not move to the center.
Typically when you get an oversize load permit you have to go through a service like the WTA. You fill out your form on which route you are going to take with the specific size and weight of your load. They will review it to make sure you can navigate that route safely. If not they will tell you which way to go. I have filled out hundreds of these for our lowboys hauling oversize loads. You always go for the max on weight , width, and height. Looking at the picture of the box he was carrying there isn't much damage to it like one would think to bring down a bridge so I think that portion of the bridge was ripe for disaster. The trucker should have taken both lanes prior to crossing the bridge which is legal and the moron trucker who passed him and forced him over should have helped him out by holding traffic back so he had the bridge to himself. As far a pilot cars go, he had a pole car in front and because of the width that is all he needed because he was under 15 feet in width on a two or more lane road. Over that you need a rear pilot car also.
@glideman yep as far as the moron trucker!!!!
Well all I can say is there is a canadian trucking company that will be going out of business real soon.
The state can issue the permit, but my understanding the driver has to identify the safe route.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/337A7006-8808-4790-85EA-167C8AC39F2E/0/OverheightLoads.pdf
one thing to think about that part the Interstate was repaved it could have added up to two extra inches to the road surface and that 15' high bridge is now 14"- 10" and no one is the wiser till this happens.
@Watcher3 So what is the driver to do? Stop before every overhang, get out his tape measure, walk out to the middle of the lane (in traffic) and measure? He was permitted to 15'9" on a 14'9" bridge. Where the pole on the pilot truck went under it made it, just not at the far right corner. The driver did everything right. If the state even had a height restriction sign in place he would have stopped. The state may hide behind that "it is ultimately the drivers responsibility" BS, but they are at fault not the driver.Â
@oldster70Â @Watcher3Â lol
@oldster70Â @Watcher3
The bridge was 15.6 at the point of contact, the lower part of the curved beam. the truck was 15.9. If the beam was as you said 14.9, then there would have been damage to the truck completely across the top and he would not have even gotten through. All he needed to do was to move into the center and cross, but was prevented from doing that by a passing vehicle in the left lane.Â
@oldster70Â @Watcher3Â There are maps that show you the height of bridges etc. I had a boat moved here that required a permit and the trucking company worked out the exact route down to the last turn. Why do you think the state should take care of everyone? People should be accountable for their own actions.
As far as the corner not making it.... i thought the standard thing to do was to move to the center lane or straddle the line if two lanes when going under a bridge or low overpass. I'm not a truck driver and even I know that.... (heard it from friends who drive trucks)
@Watcher3Â @oldster70Â so ur not a truck driver,but yet u absolutely have to be in front of a truck,an in the bridge case another stupid trucker had to b in front of the the oversize, an he had nowhere to go except take out the bridge,impaciance killed the bridge,not the driver!!~!
@Watcher3 There was a mention of that on one of the news casts, that if a trucker has a high load that exceeds the side height of a bridge, they are to have both a forward and rear pilot car, especially the rear, to allow the pilot to divert rear traffic so the truck can straddle two lanes.Â
@oldster70 @Watcher3 You are spot on. It is on the WSP and WA DOT. Tired of these govt idiots finger pointing. Sounds like the driver is not at fault.
@Watcher3Â @aak259Â @oldster70Â yea pre runnin the route is very $ saving?
@aak259Â @oldster70Â @Watcher3Â nope it was another freakin trucker that jst had to b in front 4 the saving of all of 2 seconds! kinda like goin up a hill,an ur doin 1 mile per hour faster, but morons pull out to pass, instead of just sittin there an set the cruise an relax for a bit till the top then!! Savings of time is? No wonder 4whellers have to b in front of the truck, cause stupid truckers do stupid sh..!
@aak259 @oldster70 @Watcher3 And did you actually read the link above, it says "The carrier is responsible for reviewing the route and overheight clearances, which may include a pre-running of the route".
@aak259Â @oldster70Â @Watcher3Â So if the government puts up a speed limit sign that says 60 I can drive around at 60 even when it is snowing? I don't have to use my own brain? Flipping excellent!
I am not a trucker so don't understand all the technicalities involved, but I'm seriously confused as to how the state issued a 15' 9" travel permit for the route when there's a clearance as little as 14' 9" along the way.
Guess the trucking permit issuers need to learn math, how to read maps and not trying to fit a square peg into a round hole?
It's an amazing thing that no life was lost; thank goodness for that much.
@WAbornnraised I've gone to the permit office a few times and obtained permits. The employee looks down at the permit/form and asks which highways I am taking. I answer, and the employee writes it on the permit/form. Never looking to a computer, map, nothing. Just takes my money and hands me the permit.
@Rockberry @WAbornnraised Key part of the state employees job is taking the money!
My husband drove truck for years, including many oversize truss loads. He pointed out a few problems with the immediate blame of the oversize load truck.Â
An example he gave from his driving days is the underpass in Mt. Vernon near the silo with the large tulip on it. It has a large sign on it stating the height. He came up to with an oversize truss load and felt that he wasn't going to make it under, despite being permitted for, and measuring under, the supposed height. He mentally checked his height and then warily proceeded...and hit the underside - tearing off the safety lights as well as some of the truss tops.Â
His point here is that the heights are not always accurate. There are many possible factors:
1. Settling of bridges
2. Bouncing of the bridge going over it
3. Paving the highways; the road height goes up by several inches. (Everyone has had to bump up over a lane change a time or two during paving, and knows how tall the difference is). And, over years of these pavings, the heights are no longer accurate. And inches COUNT.Â
He also pointed out that most likely that bridge truss was hanging down already, because if he hit one, he would have hit them all going across. That there could have been sag or perhaps bounce, or that the bridge may even have been starting to go at that point already and he hit it as it started to go.Â
Things that look like cause and effect, and seem very clear, are very often not.Â
Whatever the case, this may have been a blessing in disguise - miraculously nobody was hurt, and it may have needed to be replaced/fixed anyhow.Â
I thought these were some good thinking points.
@Thunder No, they're not good thinking points.
1. The guy eventually made it over the bridge. If the bridge didn't have sufficient clearance, he would have just jammed his truck into the first beam and it wouldn't have gone any further. That alone shows the bridge had clearance.
2. The article notes that the highest clearance is 17 feet--more than enough clearance. Had the guy gone for the left lane (which, considering the light traffic, he had ample opportunity to do) he would have been in the lane that typically has the highest clearance. And this wouldn't have happened.
3. This bridge is 58 years old. Thousands of overheight vehicles have cleared its spans. One guy didn't. That should give you a clue as to who might just be at fault here.
@doggril Well, I'd say they did get you thinking.Â
And your point #1 is exactly the point just under my #3. Plus,why would any trucker plan their load/trip around the highest point? Wouldn't it be the lowest point?
And your point #3 is disproven in another article here on KOMO. The investigation has already shown that there have been at least 8 other significant hits to the structure, including this one.
I also wanted to point out that he said, "That bridge has been hit before (meaning the one that collapsed). This is not the first time." He is certain. This type of thing is not actually that uncommon. And that would normally sustain that type of a hit.
bridge clearance 14.6 his permit was for 15.9 why? to me that was the states fault
@billibob If I read the article correctly, it says that the bridge has maximum clearance of 17', presumably in the center. The bridge has 4 lanes (2 in each direction?), so if the truck used the inner lane instead of the outer lane, it probably could get through unscathed.
Lmao a candlelight vigil? Nobody even died!
Yes people need to feel like they done something! Burn a candle for some one or some thing you have never met and means nothing to you so you feel good. I laugh every time they have one. bunch of saps.
Why aren't you cold hearted!
Do you not feel for the dead bridge?
Tissue...... anyone?
I heard on the radio that another semi started to pass just as he was about to cross the bridge. Any driver worth his/ her salt should know that "not really a good idea to pass a wide load on a bridge", he/she should know that the wide load has to move to the left to clear the bridge, by passing when he/she did they gave the wide load nowhere to go. Sure way to insure a bad ending. Remains to be seen just what really happened, but this is what I heard and if that's the case the wide load driver was not at fault. But I do wonder why the didn't have a pilot car in the rear as well as the front ? A rear pilot car could have blocked the other semi from starting his/her pass on the bridge approach, I see them do that all the time. . Must be a legal load tho because he went thru "weight control" just five miles or so north of the dead bridge.
King5.com has video and Q13 shows a good picture of how puny the support looks where it broke off.Someone better be looking at all the bridges.
where is the video
".... blamed it on the too-tall load. The vertical clearance from the roadway to the beam is 14.6 feet ...."
But if that were truly the case, wouldn't he have hit EVERY overhead piece of the bridge all the way across? That does not appear to be what happened - I think they are simply looking for a quick scapegoat at this point, rather than letting the investigation run it's course to determine what actually happened.
@LocalLady My husband, who drove truck for years many years ago, made that some point.
@LocalLady The trusses on the bridge have a slight arch to them - the trusses are lower to the bridge deck on the outer edges of the bridge.  The truck hit the truss at one of its lowest points because it was travelling in the right lane - after initial impact the truck likely moved left where there was sufficient clearance the rest of the way.
@In_my_opinion @LocalLady On some of these bridges you have to move over a lane to miss those gussets they put on the corners. Other drivers don't like it but its always better for trucks to stay out of the right lane as much as possible. I use to just hop in the HOV lane down in Federal Way and just stay there till I hit north of Everett. Trucks really should be allowed to use the far left lanes when going through cities. Its the safest place for everyone concerned.
@Blindman @In_my_opinion @LocalLady You must not have read that he got 'pinched' by another trucker, not allowing him to stay in the center. So, its the other trucker's fault as well for not giving him space. I'm sure he could SEE that he was carrying an oversize load. He's the one that should have landed in the drink for causing the accident!!! Stupid DOT is just passing the buck! They are at fault as well for failure to post a height sign! And for giving him a 15' 9" permit to navigate a 14' 9" bridge! But they are saying it is the driver's responsibility to be aware of the bridge heights. And what about the variables, like settling or repaving??? There are a lot of factors involved... no one is totally at fault!!!