Car Falls 20 Feet as Bridge Collapses
A two-lane bridge in Kaufman County collapsed Wednesday evening, sending a car 20 feet into the creek below and injuring its three occupants.
Located above Cedar Creek on FM1836 in southeast Kaufman County between Rand and Prairieville, the structure had been rated as deficient by the state transportation department. The department was preparing to demolish the bridge and had closed one of the lanes to traffic.
The Dallas Morning News reported, The bridge collapsed about 5:45 p.m. as a contractor in a tractor-trailer was hauling heavy equipment, said TxDOT spokeswoman Kelli Petras. The truck's trailer, but not its cab, detached and fell into the creek.
It is not clear whether the truck's heavy load caused the collapse, Ms. Petras said.
One of the car's passengers was transported via Careflite to a hospital in Tyler, she said. The conditions of the other two passengers were not available.
The bridge handles about 1,200 vehicles of mostly local traffic each day, Ms. Petras said.
Engineers will investigate the scene in the morning, she said. For now, traffic is being detoured around the bridge.
"Our priority is making sure the contractor and the public are secure," Ms. Petras said. "We are treating this as a very important issue, and we're working on it as quickly as possible."
