Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Acrophobia

I haz it.


Google Street View to the east.


Looking west.

This is a fairly historic bridge that spans the Snake River Canyon just north of Hansen, ID. I've crossed it four times in two days - once loaded, then we dropped our trailers and drove to a motel for trip two over it. Our crane appointment to get unloaded was today late in the morning, so trip three was bobtailing back out to the site. It's been pretty rainy, so picture taking from the scenic overlook was right out. It's about a three hundred foot drop, and it's also a pretty short span as well. So, I cheated and used Google's Street View.

Here is a link to a Flickr picture showing the support pillars.

So, it turns out the guy running the crane had to fish out a truck from the bottom that was blown over the side during a microburst several years ago. Apparently the truck was empty pulling a van trailer, and the wind pushed it over the guard rail. Witnesses in the vehicles on the bridge saw the driver trying to jump off the running boards as it teetered on the edge, but he didn't make it. They found his body, crushed by the frame and with the driveline ran through his chest.

There are some wind socks at the ends now.

That last trip across - well, I didn't look to the sides much.

4 comments:

Lisa Paul said...

Whoah, that wind story is scary. Like a modern day "Wreck of the Old 97". I've stood near that bridge taking pictures. And it wouldn't have taken more than a puff of wind to take my Prius sailing off over the gorge.

Now you've got me scared to cross bridges period!

Although didn't Evel Knieval try and jump this on a motorcycle some time back?

threecollie said...

Wow, that is really frightening! I wouldn't be looking much either!

Mo K. said...

OMG! That's seriously scary. Methinks they need some taller guardrails!
Incidentally, that's about 2.5 hrs. from where we'll be moving this summer, God willing.

thereoughttobeatest said...
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