At the beginning of the month, a storm rocked a Seattle bridge so hard that drivers abandoned their cars and fled for safety. Now, the terrified 911 calls from motorists stuck on the bridge during the Nov. 2 storm have been released.
With the bridge swaying up to five feet out of place during the early November windstorm, up to 50 vehicles were abandoned before the Department of Transportation closed the Highway 520 bridge. Winds raged around 60 miles per hour that day, according to The Seattle Times.
The Highway 520 bridge was eventually closed, but not before dozens of drivers abandoned their cars in fear. Gusts of over 60 mph were reached in parts of Seattle, knocking out power for more than 100,000 customers. (AP/The Seattle Times, Marcus Yam)
"I am stuck on the Evergreen Point Bridge going west, all the traffic stopped because the wind is blowing so much," one driver told a 911 operator during the storm. "How do I get off the bridge, or what’s going on with the bridge? Are they closing it?”
At this point, the bridge had not been closed, so the operator responded saying "people should just be driving. I don’t know why cars are stopping.”
Another motorist called 911 to ask if it was safe to be on the bridge.
“It is really bad. We’re on it. I’m worried that I need to abandon my car," the driver said.
The operator said at the time that the Department of Transportation was assessing the situation and the wind speed, determining if the bridge should be closed.
“I think they should everyone is abandoning their car," a caller said. "...the bridge is shaking."
Listen to the calls:
This ABC News report shows the storm in action:
The department's policy is to close the bridge if winds reach at least 50 miles per hour sustained for 15 minutes.
(H/T: Fox News Insider, KCPQ)
--
[related]
