The Washington State Patrol has ticketed the driver of an oversize load that collapsed the Skagit River Bridge in May of 2013.
The State Patrol announced the $550 fine Monday and released its final report, which concludes the oversize load was 2 inches over legal height.
The investigation concludes that a pole on the pilot car leading the oversize load did hit the bridge. But instead of moving to the center lane where there was enough clearance, the truck’s driver stayed in the right lane.
The oversized load struck 11 of the bridge’s sway braces, causing the bridge to collapse and plunging other vehicles into the river below. Amazingly no one was killed. The pilot car driver was on the phone with her husband at the time of the accident, but was not cited.
A previous investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found several “deficiencies” contributed to the accident. They include: insufficient route planning and a failure by the Washington Department of Transportation to post low-clearance warning signs before the bridge.
