EMS vehicle plunges into frigid river (New Jersey)

CNN ^ | 12-26-2005

[Cagey]

Divers search for New Jersey police officers who drove off bridge

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Divers from state and federal agencies searched Sunday for two police officers whose emergency vehicle drove off a drawbridge and plunged into the Hackensack River in New Jersey outside Jersey City, an official said.

The vehicle was driving eastbound from Kearney toward Jersey City through heavy fog on the Route 1 and 9 Bridge -- also known as the Lincoln Highway Bridge -- at 8:15 p.m., when the accident occurred, said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Tom Sperduto.

"The bridge was up; they couldn't see it and they drove right off it," he said.

The temperature of the Hackensack River water was 41 degrees, in which a person can expect to survive "a little over three hours," Sperduto said.

"There's a multitude of agencies out there right now searching," he added, listing the New York Police Department, the New Jersey State Police and the Coast Guard.

The Jersey City Police Department is the lead agency. A dispatcher said no one was available to comment.

The director of the New Jersey chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association said the structure was built shortly after World War II and is a vertical-lift bridge about 300 feet long that works like an elevator suspended between two columns.

"There's a structure that goes up and down," said Mitchel Dakelman. "The lift span is mounted between two towers."

[Fierce Allegiance]

They usually have multiple warning gates on lift span bridges. This report sounds deficient.

[MineralMan]

Doesn't this bridge have any warnings for drivers when the span is lifted? The lift bridges around here sure do.

[Cagey]

There are quite a few lift bridges around here and everyone I know of has at least a gate with a traffic light. I'll see if I can find an update to this story.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Here's a picture of the two cops:

[MineralMan]

I'd be interested to know the answer. Thanks!

[Dog Gone]

Authorities searched a frigid river Monday for a police officer missing since an emergency squad truck plunged more than 40 feet off an open drawbridge whose safety warning system was not operating. The body of a second officer was recovered.

The officers on Sunday night had crossed the Lincoln Highway Bridge over the Hackensack River, which links Jersey City and Newark, and had placed flares to warn motorists of the problems with the span, police Chief Robert Troy said at a news conference Monday.

The safety bar and bell used to warn motorists when the bridge is open had not been working for two days, Troy said.

Before the officers turned around and drove back across the river, the bridge's middle span was raised to allow a tug boat to go under.

"As dark as it was, as foggy as it was, as rainy as it was, they had no idea," Troy said.

The body of Officer Shawn Carson, 40, was found Sunday night. He was pronounced dead at University Hospital in Newark. Troy said he believed the impact of the truck hitting the water killed the 16-year veteran of the force.

Divers and other rescue and recovery teams continued searching the 40-degree water on Monday in an effort to recover Officer Robert Nguygen, 30, who had been with the police department for six years.

"We won't stop until we do," Troy said.

The bridge is known by several names, including the Hackensack River Bridge. AP Link

[Cagey]

The last line of the story, which I couldn't post, mentions:

When the bridge is in the raised position, drivers are warned that the pavement is ending by flashing lights and barricades, he said.

[Cagey]

Thanks for that update.

[Zeppo]

According to the NY Times in this article, the officers were killed in the accident.

The bridge's safety gates, which had been damaged in an accident a few days earlier, were not operating.

"They were not aware that the bridge had been lifted," Police Chief Robert Troy said at a news conference this morning. "They could not see because of the conditions."

. . .

The bridge's operator called police to report the accident.

It remains unclear whether the operator was aware that the police vehicle was on the bridge at the time it was lifted. Several units, including divers from the New York City Police Department, responded to the accident.

[MineralMan]

"The safety bar and bell used to warn motorists when the bridge is open had not been working for two days, Troy said.
"

Sheesh! So whoever's in charge of this thing just let it go unrepaired and didn't come up with an alternative warning system, like, say, a cop there to warn people?

There's a railroad crossing a few blocks from me, with safety bars, bells, and lights. It fails once in a while. When it does, there's a railroad guy there 24 hours a day, to warn drivers until it is repaired.

This sucks!

[MineralMan]

Another question: If the warning system was disabled, why did they not simply stop raising the darned thing until it was fixed. Big time lawsuits coming over this one.

[Zeppo]

I was in that part of New Jersey about a week ago, if I'm not mistaken (NJ residents, feel free to correct me), near Tonnele Avenue. It is in the general area that is shown in the opening to The Sopranos (the Pulaski Skyway is the nearby industrial-age style bridge over the wetlands)...

[Caramelgal]

“The safety bar and bell used to warn motorists when the bridge is open had not been working for two days”

So sad. Perhaps if they were answering a call and had their sirens on and were going at a high speed, they wouldn’t have heard it anyway.

Why would the authorities have allowed the safety bar and bell to go un-functioning for two days?

[Zeppo]

The accident occurred Sunday about 8:20 p.m. when the two officers, assigned to the Jersey City Police Department's Emergency Services Unit, were driving over the bridge to deliver flares to other officers who were warning motorists that the safety gates were not working.

After dropping off the flares, Officers Carson and Nguygen attempted to return east across the bridge, and their vehicle dropped into the river's 41-degree waters.

"The irony is they were responding to the very situation that caused their demise," said Mayor Jerramiah Healy of Jersey City.

[MineralMan]

"Why would the authorities have allowed the safety bar and bell to go un-functioning for two days?"

It was Christmas, I suppose, so everyone was off. Of course, this is New Jersey, so who knows?

[MineralMan]

Yeah, I saw that, but the bridge's safety warnings had been broken for two days. Why did they not simply shut the lift down until they were fixed? Lame.

[Hand em their arse]

correct zeppo, that is the area...

[Alberta's Child]

There are a couple of factors here that probably came into play. First of all, there was a heavy fog in parts of northern New Jersey last night -- and visibility was very poor around bodies of water like this river. Also, it's worth noting that the bridge in question connects Jersey City with South Kearny -- which means that Jersey City emergency vehicles aren't likely to cross it very often. I suspect the combination of the poor visibility and the driver's lack of familiarity with the area could have been factors in this accident.

[Zeppo]

My guess is that to shut the lift down would have required that they close the roadway completely and leave the bridge in the "up" position, because ships and boats would have the right of way in such a scenario. Since it is a heavily-traveled roadway, they probably did not think that would be practicable. However, it certainly looks like negligence was involved...