Dan Sligh thought he was about to die when the Interstate 5 Bridge collapsed as he was driving across it with his wife, according to the Associated Press. The pickup truck he was driving and another car plunged into the Skagit River below.
"I hit the brakes and we went off," Sligh told the Associated Press.
The bridge collapsed as a result of an oversize truck that hit an overhead span moments before, according to Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste, who spoke at a news conference. The driver of the truck is cooperating with investigators.
Sligh is a Command Master Chief Petty Officer with the U.S. Navy.
The accident was "like a Hollywood movie unfolding in front of your eyes - up close and personal," he said. After the bridge collapsed, Sligh was able to unclip his seatbelt and climb out of the truck to shallower water, though he feared he had dislocated his shoulder. His wife also escaped, though she is being treated at the Skagit Valley Hospital for internal bleeding.
The couple stood on the roof of their truck for 90 minutes waiting to be rescued. The driver of the other car was not seriously injured.
State officials called the rescue "amazing" and warned there would be major traffic disruptions resulting from the damage to the bridge, which caused a complete section of road near Mount Vernon to be closed.
"I thought we were done," Sligh told KING5 outside the hospital on Thursday. "When I look at all the carnage, all the metal, I assumed that was it at that point.
"But here we stand," he continued. "I'm okay.
"I'm beat up," he added. "I feel like I rode a rodeo bull or something."
Interstate 5 is the main freeway that runs along the West Coast between the Canadian and Mexican borders. The collapse caused traffic to back up in both directions on Thursday and overnight.
"I'm thankful there were no fatalities," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. "This is an opportunity for us to pull together to show strength of character and patience and good citizenship as we deal with this disruption."
The steel truss bridge spans 1,112 feet and was built in 1955. It was described by inspectors from the Washington State Department of Transportation as "somewhat better than minimum adequacy to tolerate being left in place as is," in August 2010.
That section of the freeway typically carries 71,000 vehicles a day, and with Memorial Day weekend approaching, higher than usual delays are likely. Drivers are encouraged to reduce their trips or take another route.
"We will be involved in a vigorous and diligent effort to get traffic flowing again through the Skagit bridge corridor and I will issue an emergency proclamation to make sure we have the resources to do so as quickly as possible," Inslee said in his statement.
Aerial video of the bridge collapse.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
