Beebe Bridge closed after crash

The driver of a semi truck that crashed on Beebe Bridge east of Chelan Monday evening is confirmed dead. A passenger is still missing.

The incident occurred just after 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, on the U.S. Highway 97 crossing over the Columbia River near Chelan Falls.

The truck, operated by Jim Palmer Trucking, was hauling a load of apples south on the highway, according to officials on scene Monday evening. The truck crossed northbound lanes and crashed through guard rails, severing a structural support. The cab disconnected from the trailer and fell into the river below. The trailer, which remained on the bridge deck, burst open, spilling boxes of apples across the bridge.

Initial reports called in indicated a second vehicle - a smaller passenger car - may have been involved, but Washington State Patrol has ruled out the possibility.

Divers recovered the body of Kathleen Walker, 48, Olympia, late Monday night, but the search for the unnamed male passenger had been unsuccessful as of Tuesday.

Response teams closed the bridge and set up a containment boom to collect the diesel fuel spreading down river. On Tuesday, the Washington State Department of Ecology gave the go-ahead for Washington State Department of Transportation crews to cut away the portion of the trailer hanging over the water. Pieces of damaged trailer and the apples inside fell to the river.

WSDOT's regional public information officer, Jeff Adamson, said by 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, workers had removed the remainder of the truck so bridge inspectors could make a full assessment.

"It appears as if there is some structural damage to the bridge as a result of the wreck," Adamson said.

At 3 p.m. Tuesday, the bridge deck was sagging three inches. "That caused some concern," Adamson said. By 4 p.m, it had dropped another inch. "They will not allow even pedestrian traffic across the bridge."

Beebe Bridge is expected to be closed through Labor Day and could remain out of commission even longer.

Adamson said the timeline for reopening the bridge depends on the outcome of the bridge assessment, which was scheduled to be completed Tuesday. Once engineers develop a plan, the availability of equipment and materials comes into play. But the bridge's structural integrity may have a bigger role, said Adamson, as heavy equipment may not be allowed on the bridge to do repairs.

With the bridge closed, drivers who would other wise cross the Columbia River at Beebe Bridge may be adding more than 70 miles to cross at Bridgeport or Wenatchee. That means school kids living on the Douglas County side of the Columbia River who attend schools in Chelan will be picked up one hour earlier than scheduled and return home one hour later.