A baby boy along with his mother and father, believed to be in their 20s, were killed yesterday when a large piece of concrete fell onto their moving vehicle from a bridge being refurbished in Washington State, USA.
The damage was so severe, it was impossible to even tell how many victims were in the vehicle– Bonney Lake Police
A section of a concrete barrier reported to be up to 100 feet in length fell onto the family’s pick-up truck from a sidewalk construction project on the bridge, which carries State Route 410 over a local street.
So extensive was the damage that for most of yesterday police believed only one person had died, but ongoing rescue efforts revealed the full extent of the tragedy.
"The damage was so severe, it was impossible to even tell how many victims were in the vehicle," Bonney Lake Police told local media.
One witness travelling behind the pick-up said "snaps" could be heard before the fall.
"We were just heading down the street…and I could hear three snaps and down it went on top of the truck," said witness Dawn Nelson. "There was nothing anyone could do. It was just surreal."
According to reports, the city had received state and federal money to add a sidewalk to route 410 to make it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The main contractor for the project is WHH Nisqually Federal Services, a construction business run by the Nisqually Indian Tribe.
Workers from the main contractor and subcontractors were being questioned by police yesterday.
"It’s an unfortunate accident," WHH Nisqually General Manager Jon Kirk told reporters outside the Bonney Lake Police Department. "And, it’s under investigation. That’s all I can say at this time."
A spokesman for the city, Woody Edvalson, told KomoNews.com that the wall of the bridge fell as it was being prepared for removal, adding that traffic was not stopped on the roadway below because there was no perceived risk.
Photograph: The concrete fell from a sidewalk construction project on the bridge, which carries State Route 410 over a local street (Bonney Lake Police)
