A pedestrian bridge, possibly hit by a vehicle, collapsed onto Interstate 295 in Washington, DC. The incident barred the highway in both directions and resulted in multiple injuries, according to authorities on Wednesday.
The collapse transpired just before noon on Wednesday at DC-295 near Polk Street. Firefighters checked for cars underneath the collapsed bridge and reported that no one was trapped.
No person trapped underneath the bridge
The bridge across DC-295 is connected to Interstate 295. According to the DC Fire and EMS, the bridge crumbled on Polk Street NE and Kenilworth Avenue. The collapsed bridge also obstructed a truck that began leaking diesel fuel. Four people were hospitalized, but there were no people that were trapped underneath the debris of the bridge, reported The Mercury News.
Mayor Muriel Bowser stated, "We don't have any structural concerns about the bridge. It was last inspected in February," reported CNN.
Based on an article released by WBAL TV, when the bridge was inspected in February, the officers did not find any structural issues. However, Geldart later revealed that in April 2019 the bridge had been given a rating of 5, which is considered a "fair" rating on a national scale from 0 to 9. After it was inspected in February, the bridge was graded a 4 or "poor" rating.
Based on the preliminary probe, one truck carrying diesel fuel may have collided with the bridge, which caused the bridge to separate from its mooring. Multiple cars were later involved in the collision.
According to Chris Geldart, Acting Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, preliminary evidence indicates that a collision involving multiple vehicles happened just 10 minutes before noon. The bridge was unfastened. The cause of the initial crash will still be determined by the crime scene and police investigators, Geldart added.
Two injured persons received treatment at the scene. Early reports indicated that the extent of the injuries is not life-threatening. However, the specific conditions of the people injured by the collapse have not yet been confirmed by emergency officials, reported The Atlanta-Journal Constitution
All five injured people were riding in cars. DC-295 was slated to be closed in both directions until 10 PM.
Photos posted by DC Fire and EMS display that one side of the bridge fell onto I-295 southbound. The part of the bridge on the northbound side is still mostly attached to a raised platform. The pictures also show the bridge's mangled concrete and metal sprawled across six lanes of the highway. Chunks of concrete and other debris were sprawled throughout the highway. The bridge was lying on top of the truck. It was leaking diesel fuel along the roadway. The footbridge blocked all lanes of State Highway 295. Both directions of traffic were slated to be closed at least until late Friday.
Northbound delays stretched around 3 miles. As of 1 PM, southbound lanes had delays of approximately 1.5 miles.
