MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A truck carrying an oversize load struck a bridge on the major thoroughfare between Seattle and Canada, sending a section of the span and two vehicles into the Skagit River below, though all three occupants suffered only minor injuries.
It happened about 7 p.m. Thursday on the four-lane Interstate 5 bridge near Mount Vernon, about 60 miles north of Seattle, and disrupted travel in both directions.
Initially, it wasn't clear whether the bridge just gave way on its own. But at an overnight news conference, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste blamed it on a tractor-trailer carrying a tall load that hit an upper part of the span.
"For reasons unknown at this point in time, the semi struck the overhead of the bridge causing the collapse," he said.
The truck made it off the bridge and the driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
Two other vehicles went into the water about 50 feet below as the structure crumbled. Three people were rescued and were recovering Friday.