LOUISIANA, MO -- The Champ Clark Bridge on US 54 over the Mississippi River in Louisiana, Missouri has reopened following an accident that occurred on the east end of the bridge Wednesday morning. It was closed for approximately 6 hours.
The bridge has been inspected by MoDOT engineers and repairs have been made to the railing. "We have made immediate repairs to get the bridge safely open, and we will make more permanent repairs within the next few months," said Travis Wombwell, MoDOT bridge inspector.
Illinois State Police have confirmed that one fatality resulted from the accident which was reported at around 8:17 a.m.
We now know that 34-year-old Kyle D. Brown of Lake St. Louis, Missouri was the driver of the car. Authorities confirm that he died on scene from injuries sustained in the crash.
The driver of the semi trailer, 50-year-old Kenneth L. Davis, was ticketed for improper lane usage.
Davis' semi trailer was carrying a skid loader of logging equipment (considered a wide load) westbound from Illinois to Missouri when he attempted to move over for Brown's car which was eastbound. Through the investigation, it appears that the skid loader hit the superstructure of the bridge and fell off of the trailer and onto the car.
Drivers had to take US 61 to Hannibal to cross the Mississippi River into Illinois and from the Illinois side, drivers had to take I-72 to Hannibal into Wednesday afternoon as crews worked to make repairs to the bridge and clear debris.
We heard from Facebook fans Wednesday that they feel the bridge is too narrow. Join the conversation on our Facebook page here.
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