COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – While all lanes of Interstate 70 near downtown are open, the investigation into the crash which led to an emergency closure of the west bound lanes over the weekend is still under investigation.
A semi truck hauling an excavator Saturday crashed into the Fourth Street bridge, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP). The bridge goes over I-70.
“It’s been crazy, these aren’t things you can prepare for, you can’t plan for them, but unfortunately they happen and so we have to react to them,” said Matt Bruning, Press Secretary for the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).
The driver of the truck has been cited for operating a vehicle over height, according to OSHP. The Columbus Division of Police said it’s possible they might also cite the driver.
There ended up being at least a few hours from when the crash happened to when emergency repairs started because the incident was not reported right away.
“Certainly a long period of time elapsed between the point of impact and the point where we were able to get there and start making assessments,” Bruning said.
A spokesperson for OSHP said the driver told investigators they did not realize the moment of impact with the bridge. They pulled off and stopped in Madison County. That’s when they noticed the damage to the excavator and called troopers, according to OSHP. OSHP then called ODOT so they could figure out which bridge was hit.
“It was pretty much anybody we could get to put eyeballs up because obviously in a situation like that you want to find the point of damage as quickly as you can. You don’t know how bad the damage is and what could be the repercussions of it,” Bruning said.
ODOT will be working with the trucking company’s insurance to cover the cost of the emergency repairs, according to Bruning. NBC4 has reached out to the company but has not heard back.