The I-40 bridge disaster was a

bridge collapse This is a list of bridge failures. Before 1800 1800–1899 1900–1949 1950–1999 2000–present Bridge disasters in fiction *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005 novel): the fictional Brockdale Bridge, by the Death Eaters (r ...

that occurred southeast of

Webbers Falls, Oklahoma Webbers Falls is a town in southeastern Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 616 at the 2010 census, a decline of 14.9 percent from the figure of 724 recorded in 2000. The name comes from a seven-foot waterfall in the Arka ...

, United States at 7:45 a.m. on May 26, 2002. Freight barges being transported on the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United ...

collided with a pier supporting the

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

road bridge crossing the river. The resulting failure of the supports caused a section of the bridge to collapse, killing 14 people and injuring another 11. The collision was determined to have resulted from the captain of the barges'

towboat A pusher, pusher craft, pusher boat, pusher tug, or towboat, is a boat designed for pushing barges or car floats. In the United States, the industries that use these vessels refer to them as towboats. These vessels are characterized by a squar ...

losing consciousness.

Collision and collapse

Joe Dedmon, captain of the towboat ''Robert Y. Love'', was transporting barges on the

. While traversing the

Robert S. Kerr Reservoir Robert S. Kerr Reservoir is located within the Cookson Hills, on the Arkansas River in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, Sequoyah, Le Flore County, Oklahoma, Le Flore, Haskell County, Oklahoma, Haskell, and Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee counties in ...

, Dedmon experienced a syncope and lost control of the tow. This, in turn, caused the barges he was towing to collide with a pier off the

bridge crossing the reservoir. A section of the bridge collapsed, plunging into the water. It was raining heavily at the time of the collapse, but the rain subsided soon afterward. By the time traffic stopped and individuals became aware of the missing road, eight passenger vehicles and three semi-trucks had fallen into the river or on collapsed bridge pieces. Fourteen people died and 11 others were injured when the automobiles and tractor-trailers fell from the bridge. Survivors were aided by fishermen who were participating in a bass fishing tournament in the river near the bridge.

Rescue and recovery

Three people that had fallen into the river in their vehicles were able to get out and swim to shore. While participating in a bass fishing tournament, fishermen on the water saw the disaster occurring and attempted to aid the victims and stop the cars and trucks they witnessed driving towards the bridge failure. One fisherman along the river shot a flare at a tractor-trailer driver in an attempt to get the truck to stop. Others threw ropes at individuals in vehicles to attempt to pull them from the water. The two-time convicted felon William James Clark impersonated a U.S. Army captain at 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 was later apprehended in Canada. An estimated 20,000 vehicles per day were rerouted for about two months while crews rebuilt the bridge. Traffic resumed July 29, 2002—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.

Investigation and litigation

It was reported that the towboat ''Robert Y. Love'' had problems with steering back in 1994, although Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Natalie Magnino stated that the 1994 problem was caused by debris that had jammed the rudder and was not the result of mechanical failure or pilot error. The National Transportation Safety Board stated in 2004 that the collapse was due to Captain Dedmon's loss of consciousness, possibly due to an unforeseeable abnormal heart rhythm. Indiana University Professor of Medicine Douglas Zipes agreed with this explanation and stated in a letter to Dedmon's attorney that it was likely that Dedmon had

ventricular tachycardia Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach or VT) is a fast heart rate arising from the lower chambers of the heart. Although a few seconds of VT may not result in permanent problems, longer periods are dangerous; and multiple episodes over a short period ...

, which caused him to black out. As a result of the accident the Safety Board recommended that the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center evaluate the utility and effectiveness of alerter systems within the wheelhouse of inland towing vessels. This was in addition to warning systems for motorists to stop in the case of a partial or total bridge collapse. In May 2003, victims of the bridge collapse settled a lawsuit with the towboat company. The Mississippi-based company Magnolia Marine Transport Co. settled with the 14 deceased victims' families and those injured for an undisclosed amount. This is separate from the other suits against the company by the state of Oklahoma and by MBO Video, whose fiber optic cables were severed by the collapse.

Memorials

The town created a memorial statue in honor of the victims and the event, a 14-foot-tall bronze sculpture that incorporates pieces of the wreckage and is topped by a young girl reaching upwards to release a dove. The young girl represents the youngest victim, a 3-year-old girl. It was created by Shahla Rahimi-Reynolds, who was chosen by the Webbers Falls Committee to design the memorial, which also uses 14 granite plaques to memorialize each victim. The memorial was dedicated on May 26, 2003. The memorial cost the state almost $150,000. Webbers Falls marked the 15th anniversary of the bridge collapse with a special ceremony at the Webbers Falls Historical City Park, with the monument in honor of those who were affected by the accident.

References

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External links

Webbers Falls 10th Anniversary, Video by ODot
* ttps://xpda.com/i40bridge/ Aerial Photo Gallerybr>I-40 bridge collision NTSB report
Bridge disasters in the United States Bridge disasters caused by collision I-40 Bridge Disaster, The Maritime incidents in 2002 Transportation in Muskogee County, Oklahoma I-40 Bridge Disaster, The Transportation in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma 2002 road incidents I-40 Bridge Disaster, The 2002 disasters in the United States 2002 in Oklahoma Transportation disasters in Oklahoma Interstate 40 Bridges over the Arkansas River Bridges on the Interstate Highway System