Partial Bridge Collapse in Texas Kills 12-Year-Old Girl
Another victim was airlifted with serious chest injuries.
— -- A 12-year-old girl was killed after an accident involving a truck caused a portion of a bridge in Sealy, Texas, to fall onto the sedan in which she was traveling.
The victim was in the car with a female relative and another child. Austin County Judge Tim Lapham told ABC News the other child was extracted from the vehicle with no substantial wounds, but the female relative was airlifted with serious chest injuries.
Lapham said the car was moving when debris from the bridge fell onto the vehicle after it was struck by an 18-wheeler disposal truck.
“The truck [that hit the bridge] was not that big, but its hydraulic lift was up, which then struck the bridge,” said Lapham. “It was an accident. Simply operator error or [the driver] didn’t know the lift was up.”
Lapham said that the bridge has been struck several times in the past and was closed for a short period of time as recently as last year. The state has slated it for replacement in 2017, according to Lapham.
The Texas Department of Transportation says the intersection of Highway 36 and Highway 90 is still shut down following the incident.