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I-5 bridge collapses over Skagit River, sending vehicles, people into water
http://q13fox.com/2013/05/23/breaking-i-5-bridge-collapses-over-skagit-river-vehicles-people-in-water/ ^ | Q13

Posted on 05/24/2013 12:18:57 AM PDT by djf

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A portion of an Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River, about 60 miles north of Seattle, collapsed Thursday, sending three vehicles and people plunging into the cold water at least 50 feet below.

Amazingly, there were no fatalities, Skagit County authorities said. Three people were pulled from the river and taken to Skagit Valley Hospital and United General Hospital; two were reported to be in stable condition, the other had minor injuries and was being released Thursday night.

The survivor who was released was identified as Dan Sligh, 47. His wife, Sally Sligh, 56, remained in the hospital. The other injured person was reported to be a 20-year-old man.

Both the northbround and southbound lanes of the northern section of the bridge collapsed at about 7 p.m.

This section of I-5 runs between the Washington cities of Burlington and Mount Vernon.

When rescuers arrived, people were sitting on top of their submerged cars. The water is about 18 feet deep where the bridge collapse took place.

Gov. Jay Inslee headed to the scene to monitor the rescue efforts, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it was monitoring the situation as well.

Inslee later told a news conference that repairing the bridge is “job No. 1″ and that it’s unknown how long it will take to replace the bridge. I-5 is a main north-south arterial for northwestern Washington state.He said he will authorize the Transportation Department to establish detour routes to minimize impact on traffic and commerce.

“Witnesses say a truck hit the bridge and caused it to collapse, but an investigation has been launched to confirm that,” Inslee said. “Any witnesses or people with information should contact the State Patrol.

“The National Transportation Safety Board is on their way tomorrow, and I’ve been in touch with our federal partners. We will be involved in a vigorous and diligent effort to get traffic flowing again through the Skagit bridge corridor and I will issue an emergency proclamation tomorrow to make sure we have the resources to do so as quickly as possible,” Inslee said.

Goskagit.com said one driver who had just crossed the bridge shortly before it collapsed told a reporter he felt a vibration and looked in his rear view mirror to see that the section of bridge he had just crossed was no longer behind him.

“I thought something was wrong with my car at first,” the man told the reporter about feeling the vibration.

The bridge was built in 1955, was inspected last November and it received passing grades, Treece said.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: bridge; burlington; collapses; dansligh; ending; i5; interstate5; mountvernon; people; river; sallysligh; skagit; skagitriver; sourcetitlenoturl; vehicles; washington; water
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To: djf
When rescuers arrived, people were sitting on top of their submerged cars. The water is about 18 feet deep where the bridge collapse took place

How does one sit on top of a vehicle "submerged" in 18 feet of water?

21 posted on 05/24/2013 1:11:06 AM PDT by johniegrad
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To: Lexinom

I’m in unincorporated Pierce county, well east of Tacoma, and there are many farmers and livestock owners around.
Pretty conservative here.

Face it, Tacoma, Bellevue, and Seattle run the state. And if they can’t honestly win an election, they have ZERO trepidation about outright STEALING it!


22 posted on 05/24/2013 1:11:50 AM PDT by djf (Rich widows: My Bitcoin address is... 1ETDmR4GDjwmc9rUEQnfB1gAnk6WLmd3n6)
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To: SatinDoll

and obama and the dems will blame republicans.

even though they aren’t in power in washington state.


23 posted on 05/24/2013 1:12:04 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: johniegrad
The road-deck of the bridge was/is underwater, but didn't go all the way to the bottom.


24 posted on 05/24/2013 1:15:05 AM PDT by djf (Rich widows: My Bitcoin address is... 1ETDmR4GDjwmc9rUEQnfB1gAnk6WLmd3n6)
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To: Bender2

It is after 1am and I am tired. the federal government wasn’t involved in the highway system till after June 29, 1956 so it was probably a state thing. I am to tired to find out who that was so I choose harry. He is a democrat.


25 posted on 05/24/2013 1:18:31 AM PDT by ThomasThomas (A bad hair day is not a mental issue, or is it?)
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To: 22202NOVA
Eisenhower’s fault.
26 posted on 05/24/2013 1:19:07 AM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (I voted Republican, no Conservative was on the ballot. 969 yall.)
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To: djf
They didn't honestly win an election in 2004. I have not been to Seattle to spend a dime since.

That area - Seattle and even Bellevue - is worse than NYC. In the latter case, people for the most part believe in God and acknowledge right and wrong even if they don't live it, but the Pacific Northwest's urban and suburban areas lie covered with a cloud of active hostility to anything good and right. It's a different, more ominous, more evil form of leftist ideology.

27 posted on 05/24/2013 1:22:54 AM PDT by Lexinom
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To: johniegrad

The bridge is in the water. The roadway surface of the bridge ended up just below the surface of the water.

The pictures at the link below show it...click on the pictures for larger view [Getty Images cannot be posted here].

Also please notice that the places where the bridge steel is bent or ripped apart apparently were already marked with orange paint before the collapse [to the left of the cars and in the upper left corner].

http://eotmblog.com/2013/05/i-5-bridge-collapses-in-skagit-river/


28 posted on 05/24/2013 1:25:44 AM PDT by deks ("...the battle...liberty against the overreach of the federal government" Ken Cuccinelli)
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To: Conspiracy Guy

Yeah, but Ike was inspired by the German Autobahn, so it’s uhh... that guy’s fault.


29 posted on 05/24/2013 1:26:08 AM PDT by Tony in Hawaii (Freedom!)
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To: deks

Looks like rust, not paint, to me.


30 posted on 05/24/2013 1:29:54 AM PDT by Politicalmom (Liberalism. Ideas so great they have to be mandatory.-FReeper Osage Orange)
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To: Bender2

Ferrous nice, Bender2.


31 posted on 05/24/2013 1:30:33 AM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: djf

Thanks. Hard to believe that’s an interstate bridge. Looks like potential trout water, though.


32 posted on 05/24/2013 1:37:38 AM PDT by johniegrad
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To: johniegrad

have 15 foot legs


33 posted on 05/24/2013 1:37:46 AM PDT by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: johniegrad

Surprisingly, trout in the Washington rivers west of the cascades are somewhat rare.

The young (and the adult) salmon are ravenous!

The steelhead too will devour young trout.

I did, though, get a VERY nice about 14 inch rainbow in the White river one year.


34 posted on 05/24/2013 1:42:40 AM PDT by djf (Rich widows: My Bitcoin address is... 1ETDmR4GDjwmc9rUEQnfB1gAnk6WLmd3n6)
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To: djf

Bush’s fault.


35 posted on 05/24/2013 1:43:18 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo (Kim Jong Un won't have a single "bad underwear day" unless/until we've a patriot in the White House)
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To: johniegrad

Lots of salmon in there at the right time of year too. I live a mile from this bridge on this river. I drove over AND under that bridge today. Didn’t hear it happen, someone texted me about an hour later. Glad no one was killed but traffic is gonna be hell around here for 3 years I betcha.


36 posted on 05/24/2013 1:51:27 AM PDT by tinamina
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To: Lexinom

I live in Burlington 1 mile from the bridge and I am amazed that they are routing traffic over the 536 bridge which is a much older draw bridge through downtown Mt. Vernon. Not going to be fun to go anywhere around here for quite some time.


37 posted on 05/24/2013 1:54:29 AM PDT by tinamina
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To: djf

Whoa that’s bad.


38 posted on 05/24/2013 2:00:13 AM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: djf

That doesn’t look like a 50 foot drop to the water to me. 30 feet tops.


39 posted on 05/24/2013 2:03:08 AM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (I voted Republican, no Conservative was on the ballot. 969 yall.)
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To: Conspiracy Guy

As you might expect, this was on the local news all evening. And they were calling it a 20 or 30 foot drop.

Still - that’s one hell of a pothole, eh?


40 posted on 05/24/2013 2:12:31 AM PDT by djf (Rich widows: My Bitcoin address is... 1ETDmR4GDjwmc9rUEQnfB1gAnk6WLmd3n6)
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