Bridge Collapse

They made the announcement over the library intercom that patrons needed to find an alternate route home other than the Skagit River Bridge, due to its collapse. It was hard to believe that a section of the Skagit River Bridge, which also served as part of the North and Southbound lanes for I-5, actually did collapse into the water after being struck by a semi-truck. More amazingly was the fact that there were no fatalities. I quickly finished up and ran out the door with my camera in tow. Heading down to the sandbar on the Burlington side of the river I didn’t know what I’d find. As I arrived, everyone was heading in the same direction. It was a bit eerie as we made this weird sort of pilgrimage through the tall grass along the dike. People on crutches, children on the shoulders of their parents, bicycles, old and young. It was all a little surreal and had almost a festive feel, which just felt wrong.

I was shocked that this scene was as bad as it was. Something you take for granted everyday to and from work, you would never imagine that it could simply collapse. At this point I began to notice how some people were starting to freak out a little bit. One young man was just staring at the bridge as he pet his beautiful little black lab. He explained to me that he had just crossed the bridge five minutes before it fell. Another woman was tugging on the elbows of people asking if the truck in the water was green. The panic in her voice was evident even when we tried to reassure her that there was no green truck. She just wandered off asking people the same question and near tears. In the meantime I had no clue my husband was on the scene. When I got home and took a closer look at the photos I was surprised to see him standing in the boat of the very photos I took.

The shadows of first responders was interesting in the light of a beautiful sunset.

Helicopters continued to come and go as they searched the water for people who may have still been in the water.

There were people on both sides of the river bearing witness to this accident. Thankfully there were no fatalities as people were rescued from the wreckage.

On the way out I saw two gentlemen arriving in a hurry with their professional looking gear. Looking closer I saw that Seattle news stations were just arriving.

Walking in the other direction I noticed that it looked like a full moon and that the pinks and purples of the sunset were starting to highlight the evening sky. Old pillars of a former bridge provided an interesting contrast to the reflection of newer pillars on the one remaining bridge connecting Mt. Vernon to Burlington.

Finally the silhouette of children against the evening sky with a departing helicopter was one of the very last things I saw as I left.