History of Northeast Ohio bridge incidents after Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore

Anthony Thompson and Patrick Williams, Akron Beacon Journal
·3 min read
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The partial collapse of Baltimore's almost 50-year-old Francis Scott Key bridge Tuesday morning stunned millions of Americans across the country. A freighter lost power moments before hitting the bridge's support pillars, sending eight construction workers crashing into the water below. Six individuals are presumed dead after rescue workers suspended a search late Tuesday.

Tuesday's accident brings to mind the number of bridge-related incidents that have happened in Northeast Ohio throughout the years. Listed below are examples of incidents involving Akron-area bridges.

Ohio bridge collapses: Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore brings to mind several collapses in Ohio

Massive fire erupts near Valley View bridge

A large fire broke out at the Kurtz Brothers Landscaping Supply Center near the Valley View Bridge early Tuesday morning. The fire started in the mulch, and smoke and flames could be seen billowing in the sky, according to reporting by Beacon Journal partner News 5 Cleveland.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Route 8 tanker crash left one individual dead

A driver of a diesel tanker drove off the side of the bridge in Macedonia on Jan. 27, causing the vehicle to explode on Route 8's northbound lanes and killing the driver, 31-year-old Jason Thomas Stevens. The truck carried about 7,500 gallons of fuel, some of which ran off into the nearby Brandywine/Indian Creek.

The ramp was closed for a few days after this incident.

Truck carrying bulldozer smashes into East Avenue bridge

A bulldozer ended up on its side after striking the East Avenue bridge over Interstates 76/77 in Akron when the truck hauling it tried to pass under the bridge early Monday. [Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal/Ohio.com]
A bulldozer ended up on its side after striking the East Avenue bridge over Interstates 76/77 in Akron when the truck hauling it tried to pass under the bridge early Monday. [Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal/Ohio.com]

In December 2018, a truck carrying a bulldozer driving on Interstate 76-77 hit the East Avenue bridge, and the bulldozer was knocked off the trailer, the Beacon Journal reported at the time.

Two vehicles were damaged. A piece of debris fell from the bridge onto a Jeep windshield, and a piece of tubing smashed a windshield of a Hyundai and buckled the car's roof.

Bridge collapse brought 'Kungle Canyon' to Norton

The Kungle Road bridge in Norton collapsed in June 2019.
The Kungle Road bridge in Norton collapsed in June 2019.

The Kungle Road bridge in Norton collapsed in 2019, five weeks after the city closed it.

The city finished bridge repairs in November 2023.

Grant Street bridge partially collapsed in 1979

Workers tend to the scene of the 1979 collapse of the Grant Street bridge over Interstate 76/77 in Akron that killed the Rev. John David Barrickman and his wife, Patricia.
Workers tend to the scene of the 1979 collapse of the Grant Street bridge over Interstate 76/77 in Akron that killed the Rev. John David Barrickman and his wife, Patricia.

The sidewalk on the Grant Street bridge partially collapsed onto Interstate 76-77 in March 1979, killing two people.

The Rev. John Barrickman Sr. and his wife, Patricia, died "when 140 feet of the Grant Street bridge sidewalk fell 20 feet onto the Expressway, slicing their car in half," the Beacon Journal reported.

Crain Avenue Bridge in Kent crashes into Cuyahoga River, resulting in one fatality

In December 1964, the Crain Avenue Bridge collapsed under the weight of a gasoline tanker truck, sending the truck and another vehicle into the river 25 feet below. The driver of the other vehicle, 72-year-old Shockley Graham, was killed instantly. The driver of the tanker was unharmed.

Two teenagers were crossing the bridge on their way to school when they too fell in the water. They both survived.

The replacement bridge opened less than a year later, in December 1965. In November 2008, the bridge briefly closed due to a coal train derailment. No one was injured in this incident.

That replacement bridge lasted 45 years until the Fairchild Avenue Bridge was built in its place.

Summit County bridges: Check out a database showing recent inspection results

Other notable bridge incidents

Area newspapers reported on bridge disasters throughout the 20th century. The following stories ran in the Beacon Journal unless otherwise noted:

  • Oct. 11, 1911: "Prospect St. Bridge falls with a crash"

  • Nov. 4, 1911: "Three hurt when bridge collapses"

  • Akron Evening Times, Oct. 28, 1918: "Bridge collapses; two escape death"

  • Oct. 28, 1922: "Heavy truck causes bridge to collapse"

  • Jan. 22, 1935: "The high level bridge failure"

  • Aug. 9, 1950: "Ask $100,000 in death from bridge blast"

  • Aug. 15, 1951: "Second Portage bridge collapses within week"

  • Oct. 17, 1951: "Fourth Portage bridge collapses"

  • Dec. 18, 1964: "Truck, car plunge into river"

  • Aug. 11, 1970: "Truck wrecks covered bridge"

  • May 18, 1973: "City worker killed 'serving public'"

Reporter Mark J. Price contributed to this report. Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ. Reporter Patrick Williams can be reached at pwilliams@gannett.com, or on Twitter @pwilliamsOH

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: After Baltimore bridge collapse, a look at Akron-area bridge incidents