PEARL – Large pieces of concrete fell onto Interstate 20 in Pearl Wednesday morning after a crash involving an 18-wheeler on the U.S. Highway 49 flyover, according to the Pearl Police Department.
Police said the department’s 911 Communications Center began receiving emergency calls around 8:51 a.m. on Jan. 14 reporting large chunks of concrete on I-20 eastbound and westbound beneath the U.S. 49 overpass, with several vehicles struck by the debris. About six minutes later, dispatchers received a report of a crash involving an 18-wheeler on the U.S. 49 flyover to I-20, police said.
Preliminary findings indicate the truck was transporting two large spools of steel when the chains securing the load broke as the vehicle negotiated a left-hand turn onto the flyover, authorities said. The spools reportedly came off the trailer, struck the bridge and rolled into a concrete guardrail before coming to rest.
Police said the impact broke concrete from the roadway and guardrail, sending debris down onto traffic below. After the truck stopped on the bridge, another vehicle struck the 18-wheeler from behind, according to the department.
Pearl Fire Department personnel and Pafford Ambulance Service were contacted to respond, but no injuries were reported, police said. The Mississippi Department of Transportation also responded to evaluate the structural integrity of the bridge.
