I-40 bridge disaster
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The I-40 Bridge Disaster was a boating accident that occurred in 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 (180 m) section of the I-40 bridge plunging into the Arkansas River. Due to the location of the accident, automobiles and tractor trailers fell into the water, killing fourteen people.
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[edit] The victims
- U.S. Army Captain Andrew Clements, 35, who was traveling from California to Woodbridge, VA.
- Jeanine Cawley, 48, of Lebanon, OR.
- Margaret Green, 45, of Stockdale, TX
- Gail Shanahan, 49, of Corpus Christi, TX
- Misty Johnson, 28, of Lavaca, AR. (The Johnson family was on their way to the Tulsa Zoo.)
- Shea Nicole Johnson, 3, of Lavaca, AR.
- James Johnson, 30, of Lavaca, AR.
- Paul Tailele Jr., 39, of Magna, UT.
- Wayne Martin, 49, of Norman, OK.
- Susan Martin, 49, of Norman, OK.
- Jerry Gillion, 58, of Spiro, OK.
- Patricia Gillion, 57, of Spiro, OK.
- David Mueggenborg, 52, of Okarche, OK.
- Jean Mueggenborg, 51, also of Okarche, OK.
The medical examiner ruled the manner of death an accident on all 14 victims. Drowning was the cause of death on 13 of the casualties. The medical examiner ruled Clements’ cause of death to be blunt trauma to the head. Also killed in the collapse were four horses that had been in a trailer towed by victims Green and Shanahan.
[edit] The rescued
- Max Alley, 67, Stroud, OK.
- Goldie Alley, 68, Stroud, OK.
- James Bilyeu, 62, Conway, AK
- Richard Cawley, 59, Lebabon, OR
- Rodney Tidwell, 37, Ripley, MS.
[edit] Hindsight
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The factual accuracy of this section is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page |
The bridge was actually two bridges side by side each carrying one carriageway of the freeway. These bridges were so close together that the barge knocked both down. In hindsight, the carriageways should have been some distance apart so the barge would have collapsed only one bridge.
[edit] Similar accidents
- Granville railway disaster - vehicle hits piers
- Big Bayou Canot train disaster - Amtrak train plunged off bridge that had been hit by a barge.
[edit] Bridge reopens
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 usually take six months, according to Federal Highway Administrator Mary Peters.
