A major car accident that took place on the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati may have drawn your attention if you often frequent the area. The crash itself involved eight cars and left six people with injuries. An Aug. 4 report stated that the site of the crash has had previous safety concerns, and this crash has brought them again to the forefront.
If a location is known to cause or contribute to car accidents, you'd think that it would be repaired. This bridge hasn't been fixed, though, because of an ongoing debate on who will pay for it. This is happening despite a growing number of accident victims.
The bridge has two levels, an upper deck and lower deck. When this accident took place, one car allegedly tried to cross three lanes of traffic, and it struck a semi-truck. At that point, a chain-reaction crash took place. One car was pushed off the bridge; this caused it to land on the lower level of the bridge. Fortunately, no one's vehicle was pushed into the river below.
One witness recalled helping a man out of his vehicle after it crashed. The car that fell from the upper deck did not strike any of the vehicles below. The report has said that the bridge has no emergency shoulders and narrow lanes. On top of that, it's difficult to see, which could lead to more accidents like this one.
The bridge passes between Ohio and Kentucky, so it's debated who will pay for a replacement. A new bridge will cost approximately $2.5 billion. Because of the safety issues that have been highlighted, it's more likely that the bridge's repair or replacement will be discussed. The mayor has said what is essentially true; people's lives are priceless. A new bridge is needed in the area to prevent more injuries.
Source: WLWT, "Serious multi-car crash on Brent Spence Bridge highlights need for new structure" Courtis Fuller, Tammy Mutasa, Aug. 04, 2014