(The Associated Press circulated the following on March 5.)
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — A highway bridge and a CSX railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River in Parkersburg are closed for inspections after being struck by barges that broke free from a towboat this afternoon.
No injuries were reported.
Lieutenant Herb Lumpp of the Coast Guard’s Barboursville office says the motor vessel Darin Adrien was pushing 12 barges upriver when it lost its tow due to the strong current just before 1 p.m.
The tied-together barges struck the CSX bridge, which caused the tow to break apart and sent two of the barges into the highway bridge.
The West Virginia Department of Transportation and CSX have both been asked to send crews to inspect the bridges for damage.
Lumpp says all 12 barges were rounded up by the Darin Adrien and two other tow boats and pushed against the river bank and the railroad bridge pier.
Ten of the barges were hauling coal, one was filled with lime and the other was empty.
A Coast Guard crew is investigating.