“There was this little, bitty slot wide enough I could get my finger in so I reached up and put my finger in the slit and that was the only slit on that whole bundle,” he said. Survivor recalls 1967 collapse of Silver Bridge, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 Comics and Puzzles, West Virginians are begging Gov. Cars were lined up in both directions. Edmondson said the pilot radioed for an ambulance which picked him up at the riverbank and took him to Pleasant Valley Hospital. 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. It was that close. Engineers are now more knowledgeable about corrosion fatigue and stress corrosion, which allows better quality structures to be designed and built. 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. That was the day the Silver Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River. He had come out of the cab some way,” he said. Higley's body was the 29th to be recovered and identified in Friday night's collapse of the Silver Bridge at Kanauga. But no longer. He chuckled when telling how his “britches” had been too tight so he had “undone” his belt when he was driving. She was a loving homemaker, wife, and mother. 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. Federal data shows there are about 73,000 bridges nationwide at least 75 years old, including 12,241 past the century mark. When he first came up from the water, his “britches” had come all the way down and were turned the wrong side out. Edmondson, while visiting at the Point Pleasant River Museum and Learning Center, sat down with Ohio Valley Publishing to tell his story. The Silver Bridge episode is called history now, so that takes some of the horror out of it. 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. On December 15, 1967, it crumbled into the Ohio River during rush hour, killing 46 people without warning. 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. I told him ‘yeah, go ahead, I’m ok.’”. 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 … Snow showers. The Silver Bridge over the Ohio River collapsed fifty years ago on Dec. 15, 1967. Chance of snow 100%. His partner, Robert Towe, didn’t make it. Highway Act of 1968, which was enacted following the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge in Ohio. And, the heavy tractor trailer hit the water with such force it turned Edmondson into a “projectile” and his elbow literally busted the passenger side window, the glass cutting him on his face and back. Edmondson said there was “no warning” that the bridge was going to fall. Passengers on a … The Silver Bridge was nearly 2,235 ft long, including a . 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. H. istory. Even though the collapse of the Silver Bridge was a disaster, there were positive aspects to the failure. December 15, 2017 marked the 50th anniversary of the Silver Bridge collapse in 1967. “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. “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. From Disaster to Prevention: The Silver Bridge. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. 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. 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. 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. I just looked up and there it was.”. Hi! 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. Cundiff’s remains were found around five weeks later. On a related note...Sherry Yearsley...a survivor of the Silver Bridge collapse was recently found murdered. When the Silver Bridge fell 32 vehicles were destroyed and it claimed 46 lives. 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 speculated Cundiff’s head had struck the cab with the same force Edmondson’s elbow and body had struck the window. Hear from two survivors of a tragic bridge collapse. He explained the current carried him out from under the truck and when he came up, there was nothing, no bridge there. Snowfall around one inch. 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. I came right back up, just that like.”. It was one of the worst catastrophes in American history. 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. 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. She was 11 when her father died. 2 Bidwell. Testimonies from survivors and witnesses and newspaper articles regarding the tragedy can also be read. I really did,” Needham said in a recent telephone interview from his home in Asheboro, North Carolina. It was sure up there (on the bundle).”. 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. On 15th December 1967, the Point Pleasant Bridge […] “I held on to it. 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. The family came to Gallia County in 1953. 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. Coming from Winston-Salem, N.C., Edmondson would cross the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant two or three times a week. It was then that a barge pilot spotted him. One did float up right beside him. “They found him way down river. 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. D&D Beyond Some mixed winter precipitation possible. Silver Bridge survivor remembers. 50 years later. Gina Cocklereece of Winston-Salem, N.C. was one of Cundiff’s daughters. “Right there, I believe the Lord had something to do with that. But, he made it out through the broken window. ... Bridge collapsed during concrete casting, with debris falling onto open motorway below and narrowly missing vehicles, closing major motorway E47 for … It was torn down in 1971 and replaced by the Hi Carpenter Memorial Bridge. Snow this morning will transition to snow showers this afternoon. He said he thought “how in the world am I going to get out of here” right before hitting the water. Jack Fowler: It collapsed, I think, at 4:58, so it was a busy time. 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. 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. The current was so fast.”. Its aluminum paint earned it the “Silver Bridge” moniker. It’s just unreal.”. High 33F. main span of 700 ft and two side spans of 380 ft each. https://www.mydailyregister.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2017/12/web1_12.23-Edmondson.jpg, 50th anniversary connects the generations. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.. You don’t get the massiveness of it…just coming here in September and being able to see (what was) the (bridge) span. 46 people died as cars and trucks plunged 100 feet into the near-freezing water of the Ohio River. About this time, the fabric he had been hauling started popping up all around him after the trailer busted. 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. The Silver Bridge was built in 1928 and connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. 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. Born Jan. 21, 1941, at St. Albans, W.Va., he was the son of Basil K and Elsie Stonaker, who reside on Rt. 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.”. “It’s the 50th anniversary, I think that’s what has brought us back,” she said. The bridge carried U.S. Route 35 over the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. 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. Michael Pitt was cited in Bridge Magazine coverage of the lawsuit filed by the firm against the Federal Energy Resouce Commission. “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. 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. Most structurally deficient bridges are in rural areas. He still can’t believe those pants slipped over his shoes to get him loose. He said about the time the bird landed was when he could feel the bundle getting away from him. It took just seconds for the 1,1460-foot suspended portion of the bridge to collapse. Interstate highway construction accelerated during the 1950s and early 1960s. He said the fabric was packaged in burlap bundles weighing around 600-700 pounds. My finger got so cold, I dreaded to turn it loose (he was loosing control and feeling in his hand).”. When asked about last week’s ceremony, Cocklereece said, “It’s good to gather with other people who have been touched. “He saw me and pulled that barge in front of me…I floated into the side of it.”. It just turned over and it hesitated for two or three seconds. President Donald Trump has said he’s working to streamline the permit process to get major infrastructure projects like roadways and bridges finished faster. We appreciate you sharing our content on social media. 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. The Silver Bridge was an eyebar-chain suspension bridge built in 1928 and named for the color of its aluminum paint. Top Stories. Fandom Apps Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Bridge inspections are now more routine and in-depth because of the Silver Bridge.
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