This is all that remained of the steel suspension bridge, named the "Silver Bridge", in Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia after it collapsed early evening on Friday December, 15th 1967.
The 100 ft high, 1,750 ft long bridge, which spanned across the Ohio River to connect West Virginia and Ohio, roared like thunder as it fell apart under the weight of "jam-packed" rush-hour commuter and Christmas shopper traffic. The bridge was 39 years old and had been struck by 20 empty barges that had broken loose just 18 months before it collapsed (Authorities stated that they wasn't sure if there was a connection Between the two accidents).
The weather was bitterly cold, in the low 20's, and windy with snow flurries. Nearly 100 or more cars and trucks were on the bridge when it crumbled and tossed vehicles, like toys, into the freezing murky waters and riverbanks of the Ohio River, most of them in the 60 ft deep main channel of the river. This tragedy occurred just 3 days before a new bridge was to open up river to help relieve the traffic congestion. |
