Six People Injured after Pedestrian Bridge Falls on Washington Highway

At least more than three people have been injured after a pedestrian bridge collapsed on the Washington highway. A truck caused the bridge to collapse.

Six people were injured after a pedestrian bridge fell on the Washington highway on Wednesday. The DC Fire and EMS posted updates about the incident on Twitter.

“Update bridge collapse I-295 prior to Polk St NE. 6 patients assessed, 4 of those were transported. #DCsBravest Hazmat unit mitigating diesel fuel leak from the truck that is partially beneath the bridge," the officials tweeted on Wednesday, June 23.

The authorities said at least one other vehicle was struck by debris. Collapse blocks both directions. Acting Deputy Mayor for public safety Christopher Geldart briefed the media on the incident.

Geldart said the collision occurred at approximately 11:52 am, whereby it involved multiple vehicles colliding, "Five of those folks in those cars were transported to a local hospital."

Geldart explained the victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries. When asked by journalists if the bridge was hit by the truck, he said there is a possibility, but it is currently under investigation.

The Mayor, Muriel Bowser, said the bridge's last inspection was in February, adding there were no structural concerns about it.

The collision over the D.C. Route 295 in Northeast Washington caused the massive structure to come loose from its moorings and collapsed, officials said.

"We're fortunate" to have avoided a tragedy, Geldart said. The truck, which was heavily damaged, is called "a roll-off truck" and operates like a dump truck but with a flat, narrow bed for hauling containers.

The authorities said they were still trying to determine whether the bed accidentally rose and struck the bridge while the vehicle was moving.

The 14-foot-high pedestrian bridge collapsed onto the truck and caused it to leak gallons of fuel. The structure collapsed across all three lanes and caused multiple vehicles to collide.

Only people who were in those vehicles sustained injuries, whereas none of the pedestrians got harmed following the accident.

In a similar incident earlier this month, security footage showed a moment where a road bridge collapsed in southern Brazil and sent a woman plunging 25 feet onto the riverbanks below.

The clip showed the woman walking over Rio Branco Bridge in Brusque, Santa Catarina, as trucks drove over it. The vehicles bounced over a pothole in the road before the entire bridge collapsed, and the woman vanished into the crater.

The female, whose identity was not revealed by the police, managed to clamber out, and at the time of the report, it was unclear whether she sustained any injuries.