
The Washingston State DOT filed a $17 million lawsuit on Monday against a truck driver, a pilot car driver, and their respective company’s after their involvement in the 2013 collapse of a state bridge.
Truck driver, Williams Scott, who drives for Mullen Trucking LP, was hauling an oversized load back on May 23, 2013 when he struck a support beam on the Skagit River Bridge. The impact caused a section of the bridge to collapse, falling 38 feet in the river below.
Scott and the pilot car driver were able to make it across before the bridge plunged into the river, but two other vehicles ended up free falling into water below after the collapse. They were not seriously injured.
After the incident, the NTSB determined that the escort vehicle did not perform proper safety checks, and also ruled that the trucking company failed to properly plan the truck’s route. The same report, however, also placed blame on the state for not having enough low clearance warning signs on the bridge.