Posted on 08/12/2008 11:24:53 AM PDT by JZelle
The speed and size of the tractor-trailer involved in the fatal, weekend crash on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge caused a jersey wall to break and allow the truck to plunge into the shallow water below, Maryland officials said Monday.
Geoffrey Kolberg, chief engineer for the Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA), said the eastbound span of the bridge, on which the accident took place, is safe despite damage to 8 feet of wall along the right lane and that no structural damage occurred.
Mr. Kolberg also said that the Mountaire Farms truck, which was carrying frozen chicken, was traveling westbound when an eastbound vehicle crossed the center line in two-way traffic and that the truck driver hit the brakes.
The truck then brushed against the wall on the driver's right side before crashing into the wall on the other side of the bridge at an angle, Mr. Kolberg said. The truck then dropped 30 to 40 feet into the water.
"The jersey walls are not designed to handle a 55-mph, 80,000-pound-truck impact," he said.
MTA spokesman Cpl. Jonathan Green said police would not comment on the crash or confirm Mr. Kolberg's report until the investigation was finished.
The eastbound span was handling two-way traffic while the westbound span was closed for maintenance. The speed limit in two-way traffic is 45 mph.
Officials think the incident was the first in the bridge's history in which a vehicle fell over the side.
The Delaware-based Mountaire Farms truck driver John Short, 57, of Willards, was killed in the crash.
Trisha Ann Michele Carrigan, 21, of Quincy, Calif., who was in another vehicle, remained in serious but stable condition at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Candy Baldwin, 19, of Millington, was treated and released Sunday.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
The truck driver is a hero- he died trying to avoid the 19 yr old driver who admits she fell asleep at the wheel and came at him head on
I’ve crossed that bridge many times on the way to and from Ocean City back in the 60s and 70s.
I’ve crossed it over a hundred times and have often wondered whether a vehicle could go over those walls.
I have 2 drivers that were there afterwards. Both say he did not manage to avoid the girl that was SPEEDING and came over the line, they did connect.
ping
Me too.
Well, my dad was driving the family. It was always a little scary to me.
Yep, the stupid girl who fell asleep at the wheel and veered in front of him was the one who caused the accident and killed him.
Ditto that. All high bridges do that to me especially the I-40 bridge over the Arkansas River that I cross several times a month.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
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