I-40 bridge disaster
The I-40 bridge disaster was a bridge collapse that occurred southeast of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma on May 26, 2002. Joe Dedmon, captain of the tugboat Robert Y. Love, experienced a blackout and lost control of the ship. This, in turn, caused the barge he was controlling to collide with a bridge support. The result was a 580-foot (176.78 m) section of the Interstate 40 bridge plunging into Robert S. Kerr Reservoir on the Arkansas River. Fourteen people died when several automobiles and tractor trailers fell from the bridge.
Rescue efforts were complicated when William James Clark, impersonating a U.S. Army Captain, was able to take command of the disaster scene for two days. Clark's efforts included directing FBI agents and appropriating vehicles and equipment for the rescue effort, before fleeing the scene. Clark, already a two time felon, was later apprehended in Canada. [1]
An estimated 20,000 vehicles per day were rerouted for about two months while crews rebuilt the bridge. Traffic resumed Monday, July 29, 2002, only two months after the disaster. The reopening set a new national record for such a project, which would normally be expected to take six months.[2]
On Memorial Day of 2003, that year on May 26, a memorial statue was dedicated by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. The artist, Shahla Rahimi-Reynolds, created the sculpture and attended the dedication. The Cherokee Children's Choir performed songs in their native language during the dedication they were introduced by Chad Smith — Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
[edit] See also
- List of bridge disasters
- List of crossings of the Arkansas River
- Tasman Bridge disaster - 7,000 ton ore-carrier hit bridge piers causing collapse of roadway
- Granville railway disaster - Train hits piers
- Big Bayou Canot train disaster - Amtrak train plunged off bridge that had been hit by a barge.
[edit] References
- ^ "Man convicted for bridge fraud". 10th circuit court of appeals. http://ca10.washburnlaw.edu/cases/2004/04/03-7100.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ "Traffic flows again on I-40 bridge". NewsOK.com. 30 July 2002. http://newsok.com/article/894007. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
[edit] External links
- Bridge disasters in the United States
- Bridge disasters caused by collision
- Maritime incidents in the United States
- Maritime incidents in 2002
- Muskogee County, Oklahoma
- Road accidents in the United States
- Sequoyah County, Oklahoma
- 2002 road accidents
- Barges
- Disasters in Oklahoma
- Bridges on the Interstate Highway System
- 2002 disasters in the United States
- 2002 in Oklahoma
