silver bridge collapse survivors
Federal data show that while nearly one-fourth of the nation’s 611,000 bridges were either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete in 2015, that’s a drop from more than 30 percent in 2000. Survivor recalls 1967 collapse of Silver Bridge, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 Comics and Puzzles, West Virginians are begging Gov. The Silver Bridge collapse spurned a nation wide survey of the safety of bridges. He was stuck and struggling. “I wanted to wipe myself away from it.”, Claire Theresa Bailey, 95, of Fairmont passed away on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at St. Barbara's Memorial Nursing Home in Monongah. The number given when count the number of victims of the Silver Bridge disaster is 46. The Silver bridge was later replaced by the "Silver Memorial Bridge", which was completed in 1969. Desperate and determined, Needham tugged a window down far enough to slide out as the truck sank to the bottom of the river. He’s sitting on $665 million that could help, Freshman DeAngelo giving Fairmont State women major boost, Main Street Rivesville seeks young, fresh energy, Board of Education approves annual employee stipends, North Marion student third generation to sign to play football at Fairmont State, Study: Youth homelessness is on the rise in West Virginia, Fairmont Senior cross country trio signs to continue careers in college, Proposed Fairmont city budget calls for modest raises, no fee hikes. D&D Beyond “He saw me and pulled that barge in front of me…I floated into the side of it.”. 50 years later. These are the words of William Edmondson of King, N.C. Edmondson, now 88, was just 38 years old when the truck he was driving toppled into the Ohio River along with dozens of other vehicles when the Silver Bridge collapsed in 1967. It’s just unreal.”. Chance of snow 70%. “I expected to be killed. Hear from two survivors of a tragic bridge collapse. Guidance issued last May allows for underwater inspections every six years on lower-risk bridges when adhering to Federal Highway Administration-approved criteria. L. esson. These are the words of William Edmondson of King, N.C. Edmondson, now 88, was just 38 years old when the truck he was driving toppled into the Ohio River along with dozens of other vehicles when the Silver Bridge … Top Stories. The task force began a national survey on bridge safety. Point Pleasant Bridge, also known as Silver Bridge, was constructed over the Ohio River to provide the crossing for highway number-35 of the United States of America. She said she tried to look him up over the years via the Internet but had no luck, that was until they both visited the river museum. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Visitors can also inspect the bridge’s dedication plate, an eyebar, and a spacer from the bridge along with blanket and a piece of a truck extracted from the debris of the collapse. Edmondson said the pilot told him he saw the bridge fall while in the pilothouse and he radioed down to his crew to tell them to get ready to leave the riverbank to help. She was born in New York, New York on April 27, 1925 a daughter of the late Joseph and Eva Brown Howe. Some mixed winter precipitation possible. POINT PLEASANT — “I mean, everything had to fall right in place to the second, or I wouldn’t be here. Edmondson returned to the area last week for the 50th anniversary of the bridge disaster and attended two of the ceremonies marking the solemn occasion. Jim Justice for economic aid. December 15, 2017 marked the 50th anniversary of the Silver Bridge collapse in 1967. Survivor Recalls Plunge From Silver Bridge into The River. File photo. He had come out of the cab some way,” he said. “They come plumb out of the water, that rubber fabric, I thought, ‘boy, hope none of them come up under me’…they were all around me.”. Krajewski (2006), an excellent reference that reads like a history of bridge inspection, describes the training and resources provided to bridge inspectors as part of the federal initiative. The family came to Gallia County in 1953. For Edmondson, he has a good sense of humor about what he’s been through and jokes, he wanted to make it to 88 because that was Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s car number. CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Ben Cedar crossed the Silver Bridge three times on the day it fell.He was working as a Kirby sweeper salesman back then, and crossing the bridge … Along eastbound I-80 at Sparks, Nevada, near the railroad tracks, the partially clad body of Sherry Marie Yearsley, 47, was found on June 21, 2002. You don’t get the massiveness of it…just coming here in September and being able to see (what was) the (bridge) span. You get a sense of what the conditions were and we met a lot of people who just couldn’t hardly talk about it, even the locals, everybody has their scars.”, At the museum last week, Edmondson was sure to tell Cocklereece, “I want you to know how good a guy Harold (Cundiff) was…he was telling me about after he got back off that trip he was taking off until after Christmas. Winds light and variable. Two of those victims were never recovered. Survivor recalls 1967 collapse of Silver Bridge. The 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge . Cocklereece said her only memory of Edmondson when she was a child had been when he came to her home soon after the disaster. The Silver Bridge was nearly 2,235 ft long, including a . “Right there, I believe the Lord had something to do with that. Born Jan. 21, 1941, at St. Albans, W.Va., he was the son of Basil K and Elsie Stonaker, who reside on Rt. The bridge connected two major cities of Ohio and West Virginia, and provided direct access to their respective state capitals. “I didn’t have enough courage to inhale it so I just swallowed it…so I drunk out of the Ohio River,” he joked. She was a …. Edmondson said the pilot radioed for an ambulance which picked him up at the riverbank and took him to Pleasant Valley Hospital. Coming from Winston-Salem, N.C., Edmondson would cross the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant two or three times a week. Why him and not me?’ And that’s about all I remember.”. “I thought ‘this is it,’ you know, ….I couldn’t believe it, I looked up and there was that bird, he just appeared out of nowhere. It was sure up there (on the bundle).”. I just looked up and there it was.”. When asked why he made it out of the river that day and made it many days after, he said it had to do with “the good Lord” and “I don’t know why (He has kept me here) but I sure thank Him for it, I mean, I can’t believe I’d be here if it wasn’t for the Lord that pulled me through.”. “This is the sweetest man, we’re just glad he’s here,” Cocklereece said. She was 11 when her father died. While the National Transportation Safety Board had started an investigation immediately following the collapse, the Presidential Task Force on Bridge Safety also investigated the disaster. Hi! He said about the time the bird landed was when he could feel the bundle getting away from him. Snow showers. Narrator: The collapse killed 46 people. The plaintiffs are Sanford, Mich. couple Cathy and Dan Allen whose home was severely damaged in mass flooding following the collapse of the Edenville Dam in May 2020. He was hospitalized with a broken back. A driver for Hennis Freight Lines in 1967, he and his driving partner Harold Cundiff, were on their way north to Detroit, Mich. on Dec. 15, 1967, delivering what Edmondson described as fabric that went inside tires. The Silver Bridge was an eyebar-chain suspension bridge built in 1928 and named for the color of its aluminum paint. On December 15, 1967, it crumbled into the Ohio River during rush hour, killing 46 people without warning. Retired truck driver Bill Needham poses at his home in Asheboro, N.C. CHARLESTON — Truck driver Bill Needham braced for death at the bottom of the Ohio River after a bridge collapse in West Virginia 50 years ago sent his rig and dozens of other vehicles into the frigid waters. Needham said he once had a closet full of newspapers with stories about the collapse. The Silver Bridge episode is called history now, so that takes some of the horror out of it. It was that close. killed 46 and led to the creation of a nationwide bridge inspection program. 2 Bidwell. About this time, a bird landed on that roll of fabric and continued to float with Edmondson as the current carried him closer to the Kanawha River. The current was so fast.”. The final death toll was 46 lives lost with all but 2 of the bodies finally recovered. Both were eyebar suspension bridges and both opened in 1928. A flotilla of riverboats withhigh powered search lightswere recruited into the rescueoperations, along with smallcraft and a Civil Defensearmy duck. It was one of the worst catastrophes in American history. “I remember sitting there and the traffic light wasn’t working at the end of the bridge so that’s the reason traffic was backed up.”. He was one of a handful of people pulled alive from the frigid water that night. One did float up right beside him. When asked about last week’s ceremony, Cocklereece said, “It’s good to gather with other people who have been touched. President Donald Trump has said he’s working to streamline the permit process to get major infrastructure projects like roadways and bridges finished faster. He’d also like to know who the pilot was who spotted him in the river that night 50 years ago. Silver Bridge survivor remembers. About this time, the fabric he had been hauling started popping up all around him after the trailer busted. “In fact, this tragedy propelled the nation into a new era” of bridge safety. Forty-four bodies were recovered. On a related note...Sherry Yearsley...a survivor of the Silver Bridge collapse was recently found murdered. The Silver Bridge connected Gallipolis OH to Point Pleasant WV. Edmondson, while visiting at the Point Pleasant River Museum and Learning Center, sat down with Ohio Valley Publishing to tell his story. You have permission to edit this article. He said when he was underwater, and stuck, “I thought this was it” and opened his mouth and got it filled with river water. Truck driver William Edmondson was hauling 35,000 pounds of tire fabric on his usual run back to Detroit on Dec. 15, 1967. The Silver Bridge was built in 1928 and connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. Chance of snow 100%. The bridge which had opened on Memorial Day in 1928 was just gone. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Interstate highway construction accelerated during the 1950s and early 1960s. Cars were lined up in both directions. A day after the sudden collapse of a section of highway bridge in Genoa, Italy, shock has given way to anger and blame as the number of people killed, which includes several children, climbs to 39. U.S. Sen. Jennings Randolph, chairman of the Senate Public Works Committee, immediately launched hearings into the collapse of the bridge, which hadn’t been thoroughly inspected in 16 years, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Here is a link to that story: https://www.mydailyregister.com/top-stories/22408/silver-bridge-survivor-remembers. Near the mouth of the Kanawha River, the crew threw him a rope with a flotation device on it and pulled him up out of the water. She was a loving homemaker, wife, and mother. From Disaster to Prevention: The Silver Bridge. The iconic 1760 foot long suspension bridge, built in 1928 on the Ohio River, connected Gallipolis, OH and Point Pleasant, WV. Rescuers in tugboats pulled him out of the water. “The Silver Bridge collapse was a national wake-up call and inspired a much more aggressive effort to inspect and maintain bridges across the country,” acting Federal Highway Administrator Brandye L. Hendrickson said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. CHARLESTON — Truck driver Bill Needham braced for death at the bottom of the Ohio River after a bridge collapse … My finger got so cold, I dreaded to turn it loose (he was loosing control and feeling in his hand).”. I told him ‘yeah, go ahead, I’m ok.’”. Michael Pitt was cited in Bridge Magazine coverage of the lawsuit filed by the firm against the Federal Energy Resouce Commission. A veteran of 13 months in Vietnam, Higley was discharged in March 1967. Cars and trucks that had been stuck in traffic on the bridge due to a malfunctioning traffic light tumbled into the river at Point Pleasant, and 46 people perished. The Silver Bridge after its main spans fell into the Ohio River. “I just threw them all away,” he said. Since 1988, federal standards have required submerged elements of all bridges with substructures in water must be inspected at regular intervals not exceeding five years. Testimonies from survivors and witnesses and newspaper articles regarding the tragedy can also be read. Needham returned to work in 1968 and continued his North Carolina-to-Ohio route for the next eight years, carrying him over the Silver Memorial Bridge, built in 1969 a few hundred yards downstream from the old bridge. This historical event of The Silver Bridge Collapse impacted the Mothman urban legend. Passengers on a … But no longer. It’s just unreal.”. As fate would have it, during those 50 years, the families lived only about 15 miles from one another. The bridge carried U.S. Route 35 over the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. “They found him way down river. That was the day the Silver Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River. “It’s the 50th anniversary, I think that’s what has brought us back,” she said. This bundle was special because there was a fortuitous slit in the burlap fabric just big enough for him to get his finger into to hang on. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.. That was the number of people on the bridge when it fell into the Ohio River on Dec. 15, 1967, and who died from the collapse. Its aluminum paint earned it the “Silver Bridge” moniker. Most structurally deficient bridges are in rural areas. The Silver Bridge over the Ohio River collapsed fifty years ago on Dec. 15, 1967. In August of 2018, an 800-foot section of Genoa, Italy's Ponte Morandi Bridge collapsed, killing 43 people. I really did,” Needham said in a recent telephone interview from his home in Asheboro, North Carolina. His partner, Robert Towe, didn’t make it. “My truck was over halfway across going into Ohio on the downgrade,” he said. Low 29F. Please consider following us by clicking below. “I didn’t have my pants, still had my shoes, I mean it was really cold with the wind blowing so they instantly wrapped me up in some blankets and they took me up there in the pilothouse where it was warm and he (the pilot) asked me if it was ok if he circled around some more to look to see if he could find someone else. main span of 700 ft and two side spans of 380 ft each. Silver Bridge, between Point Pleasant, W.Va., and Gallipolis, Ohio, 1967: December 2017 marked the … The new bridge “was built as strong as the Rock of Gibraltar,” Needham said. He said the fabric was packaged in burlap bundles weighing around 600-700 pounds. ... 13 survivors Partial collapse The damaged section of the Queen Isabella Causeway. “Some people I told about that bird sitting up there, they told me that wasn’t a bird, that was your angel.”, He smiled a bit and said, “I ain’t denying it. The collapsed Silver Bridge, as seen from the Ohio side. POINT PLEASANT — “I mean, everything had to fall right in place to the second, or I wouldn’t be here. Howard Boggs was a passenger in a car with his 17-month-old child and his 18-year-old wife, Marjorie, who was driving. “When that cab hit the water…”. “But, he broke down and said, ‘Why? Ominous storm clouds formed above the Silver Bridge. These are the names of those whose bodies were recovered: Albert A. Adler, Jr, Gallipolis, OH J. O. Bennnett, Walnut Cove, NC Leo Blackman, Richmond, VA Kristye Boggs, Vinton, OH Margaret Boggs, Vinton, OH Hilda Byus, Point Pleasant, WV Kimberly Byus, Point Pleasant, WV Melvin Cantrell, … “I held on until it (the seat) finally got away from me,” he said. “All under that bridge was birds’ nests and I looked up while floating down river and this bird was above me sitting on the fabric looking at me the whole time and I was looking at him,” he said. But, he made it out through the broken window. Officials plan to mark Friday’s anniversary of the Silver Bridge collapse with a ceremony. I was holding onto the steering wheel and then it headed down.”. The hearings led to the first federal requirements mandating bridge inspections at least every two years. ... of course, was the most tragic and immediate impact after the collapse of the Silver Bridge. Highway Act of 1968, which was enacted following the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge in Ohio. I came right back up, just that like.”. The story made national headlines and sent a wave of paranoia and fear across the country as many wondered where and when another bridge collapse … Their car was heaved into the river by the collapsing bridge. When the Silver Bridge fell 32 vehicles were destroyed and it claimed 46 lives. ... Bridge collapsed during concrete casting, with debris falling onto open motorway below and narrowly missing vehicles, closing major motorway E47 for … “I was just sitting there and the next thing I knew, the bridge turned over. He started kicking his feet and by some miracle they slipped over his shoes and he was freed. It was that close. “I couldn’t tell you what he looked like, it (the memory) is more of an image and I can tell you where he sat and that his arm was in a cast, and…he probably doesn’t remember this,” Cocklereece hesitated with emotion. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. Cundiff’s remains were found around five weeks later. Some people say the number should be 47, as one of the bridge’s victims was pregnant. High 33F. The Hi Carpenter Bridge connected Newport, Ohio to St. Marys, West Virginia. The bridge was built in 1928 and collapsed in 1967 during rush hour traffic, resulting in the death of 46 people and increased safety inspections and regulations of bridges across the country. Snowfall around one inch. Jack Fowler: It collapsed, I think, at 4:58, so it was a busy time. He said he thought “how in the world am I going to get out of here” right before hitting the water. When he first came up from the water, his “britches” had come all the way down and were turned the wrong side out. At the time he was rescued, Edmondson said he was hopeful his driving partner was somewhere out there in the water waiting to be rescued as well, but that wasn’t to be. He used a nearby box as a flotation device and was rescued 15 minutes later. A $1 trillion overhaul of the nation’s roads and bridges is a key item on his domestic agenda — but one that’s gained little traction. The bridge was crowded that day. The Silver Bridge was an eyebar-chain suspension bridge that spanned the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio.Its name came from its shiny aluminum paint. As a result, the Hi Carpenter Bridge was closed immediately after the Silver Bridge collapsed. In about a dozen states, including West Virginia, 30 percent or more of their bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Earlier this year, in September, she and he sister made their first trip to Point Pleasant to see where their father had passed and then, by chance or fate, this past October, Edmondson and his son had made the trip to Point Pleasant. He speculated Cundiff’s head had struck the cab with the same force Edmondson’s elbow and body had struck the window. Beth Sergent is editor of Ohio Valley Publishing. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Now, bridges along major highways “are coming to the point where they’re going to need significant rehabilitation, or in some cases, replacement,” said Rocky Moretti, director of policy and research for Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit transportation research group TRIP. “I held on to it. There was 31 vehicles that fell. Engineers are now more knowledgeable about corrosion fatigue and stress corrosion, which allows better quality structures to be designed and built. He explained the current carried him out from under the truck and when he came up, there was nothing, no bridge there. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. The Silver bridge was also nearly forty years old, poorly maintained and for many years had been carrying far more traffic than it was designed for. It was torn down in 1971 and replaced by the Hi Carpenter Memorial Bridge. A crucial joint in the 39-year-old Silver Bridge’s eyebar suspension system snapped from years of corrosion and neglect, and the normal vibrations of heavy rush-hour traffic on U.S. Route 35 shook it apart on Dec. 15, 1967. Investigators blamed the poor design of the bridge structure, and the excessive loads, for the collapse. “The Silver Bridge collapse was a national wake-up call and inspired a much more aggressive effort to inspect and maintain bridges across the country. It was then that a barge pilot spotted him. Snow this morning will transition to snow showers this afternoon. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, bridges are typically constructed with a design life of 50 years, and those built from 1957 to 1976 show the greatest need for maintenance, reconditioning or replacement. Even though the collapse of the Silver Bridge was a disaster, there were positive aspects to the failure. Higley's body was the 29th to be recovered and identified in Friday night's collapse of the Silver Bridge at Kanauga. https://www.mydailyregister.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2017/12/web1_12.23-Edmondson.jpg, 50th anniversary connects the generations. Four persons onthis part of the bridge werekilled, and eight injured werepulled out of the tangled steel. In October, state voters passed a $1.6 billion bond referendum for road and bridge repairs and construction. The suspension bridge, which connected Point Pleasant and Kanauga, Ohio, was … We appreciate you sharing our content on social media. Bridge inspections are now more routine and in-depth because of the Silver Bridge.
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