I saw an interesting memorial to a sad part of Oklahoma history in Webbers Falls. It’s the I-40 Bridge Disaster Memorial which is in the city’s park. The location of the memorial is: 35.513883, -95.127776.
The Webbers Falls Bridge Disaster Memorial located in the city’s park.
I-40 Bridge Disaster Chain of Events
The disaster started with a river barge captain fall unconscious and the out of control boat hitting the bridge pylons. The accident occurred on 26 May 2002 at 07:45. The damage resulted in the bridge collapsing and 14 people dying and 11 people sustaining injuries.
Automobiles and semi-trucks fell into the gap where the bridge had collapsed but eventually, traffic stopped and rescue efforts began. Fishermen helped with the rescue efforts and saved many people who had driven into the river because they had been fishing near the bridge. In a weird twist of events, a convict came to the scene and impersonated an army captain and directed rescue efforts for 2 days before escaping to Canada. For 2 months traffic was rerouted around the accident site while construction crews fixed the bridge.
This was a wonderful point of interest and I was glad I was able to stop and pay my respects. It was interesting to read about the unfortunate set of circumstances that led to so much agony that day. The monument was a fitting memorial to the families affected that day.