Maryland bridge disasters through the years
June 1999: A tractor-trailer carrying an oversized load struck a pedestrian bridge over the Baltimore Beltway near Catonsville, hurling debris onto the highway, killing one motorist and seriously injuring three others. The rig’s load exceeded the maximum height by 3 feet.
August 1989: During repairs, the Route 198 bridge over the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Laurel collapsed during morning rush hour. Concrete and steel from the 100-foot overpass plummeted 15 feet onto the southbound lanes of the parkway, injuring 14. Contractor error was to blame.
August 1988: One-third of an aging 275-foot drawbridge near Pocomoke City fell into the Pocomoke River. No one was injured in the collapse of the 67-year-old bridge, which had been inspected that spring and was said to have carried 1,500 vehicles a day.
March 1976: Weakened by a recent windstorm, a 10-foot chunk of the Route 404 drawbridge in Denton plunged into the Choptank River. There were no injuries. Inspection of the bridge was current.
June 1930: Three iron welders were killed and six more were injured while repairing a bridge that tore loose from its moorings and fell into the Monocacy River on the Georgetown Pike near Frederick.
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April 1921: More than half of a 1,400-foot wooden bridge in Elkton crashed into the Bohemia River. No casualties were reported. The bridge, known to be in bad shape, had been closed for repairs several months earlier,
September 1921: Road rage triggered the demise of a bridge spanning the Little Patuxent River between Laurel and Savage. The bridge fell when two vehicles attempting to pass each other struck tension rods on the roadway. Both drivers were hospitalized.
September 1908: A nearly 400-foot span of the B&0 Railroad bridge near Havre de Grace collapsed into the Susquehanna River, taking with it the last 12 cars of a coal-laden freight train crossing at the time. One injury was reported,
August 1903: Two farm workers hauling 80 bushels of wheat were rescued from Rock Creek near Rockville when the bridge on which they were traveling collapsed. The team of horses survived.
June 1896: A wooden bridge over the Little Tonoloway Creek in Hancock broke under the weight of a farm wagon driven by four horses and loaded with bark. One man died, and another was hurt. The horses were unscathed.
