331 Bridge over bay closed due to wreck
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Thanks for the heads up.
Does anyone know what happened? So far, I've heard 2-3 different stories. One being that there was structural damage to the bridge and that it would still be closed tomorrow. This was pretty unnerving to one of our teacher who drives from Rock Hill Rd. to Bay Elem. Does anyone have an update???
http://headlinesupdate.fec.mhe.viapointe.com/templates/waltonsun.php?bnID=1
With the smell of diesel fuel still hanging in the air, Thomas Hicks and his family took comfort that he had survived a crash so forceful that the cab of a semi-tractor trailer ended up on the fishing pier beneath the Clyde B. Wells Bridge.
?It appeared the cab of the semi was ripped off and landed on the lower bridge, the driver was ejected,? said Sean Hughes, deputy chief of the South Walton Fire District who was working the scene beneath the bridge.
At the top of the bridge, the remnants of the two vehicles were scattered across both lanes: The frame, motor and trailer from a Consolidated Ace Hardware truck rested on the northbound side of the bridge. Hicks? pickup truck, the detached truck bed and a trailer he was hauling were on the southbound side. The Bobcat from Hicks? trailer nudged up to the semi.
Details of the accident were sketchy, but one witness, 17-year-old Paul Langley of Inlet Beach was three cars back and saw, ?a cloud of smoke and the truck went through it.?
Langley was headed north and noticed ?one of the trucks had a digger on it.?
There was so much smoke he didn?t see what caused the accident.
Langley saw a victim down on the road below and went to see if the guy was OK.
?He wasn?t.?
?I couldn?t tell you what happened,? said Hicks, owner of Thomas Hicks Landscaping and Irrigation in Santa Rosa Beach. ?It?s just a blur to me.?
South Walton firefighters contained a diesel spill on the bridge. The Coast Guard and the Florida Department of Transportation worked to contain the spilled fuel in the Bay.
The accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. and the bridge was expected to remain closed until 6 p.m.
With the smell of diesel fuel still hanging in the air, Thomas Hicks and his family took comfort that he had survived a crash so forceful that the cab of a semi-tractor trailer ended up on the fishing pier beneath the Clyde B. Wells Bridge.
?It appeared the cab of the semi was ripped off and landed on the lower bridge, the driver was ejected,? said Sean Hughes, deputy chief of the South Walton Fire District who was working the scene beneath the bridge.
At the top of the bridge, the remnants of the two vehicles were scattered across both lanes: The frame, motor and trailer from a Consolidated Ace Hardware truck rested on the northbound side of the bridge. Hicks? pickup truck, the detached truck bed and a trailer he was hauling were on the southbound side. The Bobcat from Hicks? trailer nudged up to the semi.
Details of the accident were sketchy, but one witness, 17-year-old Paul Langley of Inlet Beach was three cars back and saw, ?a cloud of smoke and the truck went through it.?
Langley was headed north and noticed ?one of the trucks had a digger on it.?
There was so much smoke he didn?t see what caused the accident.
Langley saw a victim down on the road below and went to see if the guy was OK.
?He wasn?t.?
?I couldn?t tell you what happened,? said Hicks, owner of Thomas Hicks Landscaping and Irrigation in Santa Rosa Beach. ?It?s just a blur to me.?
South Walton firefighters contained a diesel spill on the bridge. The Coast Guard and the Florida Department of Transportation worked to contain the spilled fuel in the Bay.
The accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. and the bridge was expected to remain closed until 6 p.m.
:shock: What a mess. Sad.
Word quickly came around that there was a fatality from the wreck, and around here, there is a good chance it may be someone you know personally, so there was great concern on everyone's part. People were on the phone touching base with their spouses, friends, and loved ones, ensuring it was their loved one in the crash. The word I received was that a truck, with a loader on a trailer in tow, seperated from the trailer, causing the following truck to swerve, missing the loose trailer, yet jumping the rail, landing on the old road below. The person driving the truck which went over the edge was reportedly killed. Reports were that 2 patrol boats were at the scene, but no one, nor vehicle went into the Bay. I pray for everyone involved as well as their family and friends.
Thanks for the info. I'm certainly keeping everyone in my prayers!
From today's Daily News:
"SANTA ROSA BEACH ? A semi-trailer cab tumbled off the top of the U.S. Highway 331 bridge Wednesday after a vehicle crossed into its path, killing the semi?s driver and closing the bridge for eight hours. Randall D. Sterling III died instantly when he was ejected from the cab and plummeted to the concrete fishing pier on the east side of the bridge, officials on the scene said."
"SANTA ROSA BEACH ? A semi-trailer cab tumbled off the top of the U.S. Highway 331 bridge Wednesday after a vehicle crossed into its path, killing the semi?s driver and closing the bridge for eight hours. Randall D. Sterling III died instantly when he was ejected from the cab and plummeted to the concrete fishing pier on the east side of the bridge, officials on the scene said."
From the April 30, 2005 Walton Sun:
[...]
"According to the report filed by the Florida Highway Patrol, Thomas Hicks, owner of Thomas Hicks Landscaping and Irrigation, Chat Holley Road, Santa Rosa Beach, was traveling south on the 331 bridge towing a trailer with a Bobcat (a small dirt mover) on it, when the trailer began to fishtail, crossed the center line and struck Sterling?s vehicle.
Sterling was northbound in a semi tractor trailer owned by Ace and used for deliveries.
The force of the crash caused the Bobcat to break loose from Hicks? trailer and strike the front of Sterling?s cab. The tractor trailer was forced into the eastern side of the bridge railing. The cab detached from its frame and was propelled over the bridge onto the former bridge, now a fishing pier, approximately 60 feet below, taking Sterling with it. "
[...]
What causes a towed trailer to start fish-tailing? Blown tire on the trailer? Any of you boat-owners have an opinion?
[...]
"According to the report filed by the Florida Highway Patrol, Thomas Hicks, owner of Thomas Hicks Landscaping and Irrigation, Chat Holley Road, Santa Rosa Beach, was traveling south on the 331 bridge towing a trailer with a Bobcat (a small dirt mover) on it, when the trailer began to fishtail, crossed the center line and struck Sterling?s vehicle.
Sterling was northbound in a semi tractor trailer owned by Ace and used for deliveries.
The force of the crash caused the Bobcat to break loose from Hicks? trailer and strike the front of Sterling?s cab. The tractor trailer was forced into the eastern side of the bridge railing. The cab detached from its frame and was propelled over the bridge onto the former bridge, now a fishing pier, approximately 60 feet below, taking Sterling with it. "
[...]
What causes a towed trailer to start fish-tailing? Blown tire on the trailer? Any of you boat-owners have an opinion?