A $17 million lawsuit was recently filed by the Washington State Department of Transportation to recover costs for response and repair after the 2013 truck collision which caused a portion of the Skagit River Bridge on I-5 to collapse.
The truck driver, his employer, the pilot car driver, the pilot car’s employer and the owner of the load being transported are all listed as defendants.
The incident involved an oversize load, specifically over-height which resulted in the load slamming into multiple overhead braces of the bridge, just 60 miles north of Seattle. The collision also resulted in two vehicles falling into the water and three people suffering minor injuries; there were no deaths.
Although the Skagit River Bridge has since been repaired, the state’s investigation cited negligent driving, miscalculations and mistakes and errors by the truck driver and his employer.
Additionally, the state of Washington’s major accident investigative team said the truck driver did not know the accurate height of his oversize load, and the permit obtained for transportation of the load was for two inches lower than the load he carried. Furthermore, accurate research was not conducted to ensure the bridge would accommodate the over-dimensional load.
The state’s investigative team also found the pilot car driver was on his mobile phone when crossing the bridge and did not notify the truck driver of the height clearance pole striking the bridge. The driver of the oversize load was too closely following the pilot car and would not have been able to stop in time even if the driver had notified him of the pole strikes.
According to the WA DOT, the owner of the shed which struck the bridge is also financially responsible for the damage.