LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nearly 24 hours after an accident involving four vehicles led to a semi dangling over the Clark Memorial Bridge, Kentucky transportation have completed inspections.
During a media briefing on Saturday, Mayor Craig Greenberg released more information regarding the crash.
He said in Louisville Metro Police’s preliminary investigation, witnesses told police a vehicle traveling southbound on the Clark Memorial Bridge when it hit a stalled vehicle that was in the right lane of the southbound vehicles. After the impact, the driver of that vehicle lost control and crossed into the northbound lane where that vehicle struck the Sysco truck which was traveling north.
The impact caused the semi to travel after impact, resulting in it veering off the roadway, into the guardrails and ultimately hanging off the bridge.
Greenberg said the investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
“Please note, there are no cameras on the bridge,” he explained. “So, we do not have video of the accident.”
Greenberg said he was able to speak with the driver who was rescued by Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden.
“She is incredibly brave. She is incredibly fortunate. We had the opportunity to share some prayers together – share experiences about what it’s like to experience a near-death experience,” he said.
He declined to release her name as she goes through recovery and out of respect for her privacy.
The mayor said the other driver suffered serious injuries and is currently being treated at an area hospital.
“We are conveying our thoughts and wishing them a speedy and full recovery.”
Is the bridge safe to reopen?
Officials from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have been on the scene from the moment the accident began.
Greenberg said ironically, engineer James Ballinger with the State Highway was just a few blocks away when the incident happened. Ballinger was able to make it to the scene within moments and get the investigation underway.
Crews from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet conducted their investigation from Friday night into Saturday afternoon.
It took crews about seven hours to remove the semi from the bridge to get a look at the damage.
In photos shared by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, it revealed a severely broken sidewalk along with broken railing due to the crash.
In their assessment, Ballinger said the bridge is safe for vehicle travel and damages found do not affect the bridge’s structural integrity.
The KYTC said inspections found most of the damage was on the sidewalk.
"Yesterday's incident was an extremely rare and unusual event after decades of carrying millions of vehicles across the bridge," KYTC State Highway Engineer James Ballinger said. "After thorough engineering analysis, the bridge is safe to carry vehicles and we can reopen three lanes to traffic until repair work begins. We are thankful for the heroic recovery of the semi-truck driver and continue to keep the crash victims in our prayers."
The bridge will have a partial reopening – the southbound left lane and both northbound lanes are set to open around 5 p.m.
However, the bridge is closed to pedestrians until repairs are completed.
For those who want to travel to southern Indiana by foot, they are asking you to use the Big Four Bridge in the meantime.