OLA, Ark. (AP) A western Arkansas bridge has collapsed after a tractor-trailer that exceeded the bridge’s posted weight limit by tens of thousands of pounds attempted to cross it.Jeff Gilkey, director of the Yell County Office of Emergency Management, says
the driver was following GPS instructions Wednesday when he attempted to cross
the bridge, which spans the Petit Jean River near Ola.
Part of the truss-style bridge gave way, sending the rig and debris into the
river. By Thursday the remnants of the bridge had also fallen into the water.
Gilkey told KFSM-TV in Fort Smith that a language barrier may have prevented
the driver from understanding the weight-limit sign.
Gilkey says the rig exceeded the limit by about 64,000 pounds.
The driver, who was hauling processed chicken, was not injured.
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