Bridge collapse near Sealy kills child and injures a woman (KTRK)
Updated 3 mins ago
SEALY, TX (KTRK) -- An accident involving a bridge and an 18-wheeler has killed a child and seriously injured a woman near Sealy. Now police are treating the accident as a homicide investigation.
Viewer-submitted photos of the accident scene in Sealy. (Viewer-submitted photo)
The intersection of Highway 36 at Highway 90 has been shutdown. The bridge is closed to traffic as well.
Investigators say part of the overpass fell on top of a family's vehicle after a disposal truck's boom struck the overpass, causing the partial collapse. A TxDOT crane from a nearby construction site was brought in to lift the concrete section off the car.
Brein Bollock, 12, died from her injuries. She was riding in the front seat. Her brother, nine-year-old Breanbon Gardner, was in the back seat and was able to get out safely. Leah Bollock, 35, was driving. She was taken by LifeFlight to to Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital with a chest injury. She is in critical condition, but authorities say her injuries are not considered life-threatening.
A viewer-submitted photo of LifeFlight at the scene of a bridge collapse in Sealy. (Viewer-submitted photo)
The Bullock family is still in shock at this hour. Leah Bullock is from the El Campo area. Right now, her loved ones are asking for privacy. They're all in mourning, gathered at an apartment here in Wharton County.
Facebook video from the scene courtesy of viewer Carlos Gutierrez Lopez:
The truck belongs to Texas Disposal Systems, Inc., out of Buda, Texas. The company is up to date on their inspections and does not have a notable history of accidents. The truck driver, Carl Weige, 72, was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Katy. His condition is not known.
Sealy Police Chief Chris Noble says the truck delivers dumpsters and had just dropped one off, but the boom was still raised. The truck hit the warning device that hangs over the roadway to alert drivers that they may hit the bridge. Chief Noble says the warning indicators were struck but the truck didn't stop. It hit the bridge so hard that it knocked off a section of concrete and dislodged the steel beam.
Austin County Judge Tim Lapham confirms this bridge has been struck before, on a regular basis. The state has it scheduled to be replaced in 2017, with the bidding process about to begin.
Judge Lapham said it has been a problem for a long time. He add that the bridge was hit last year and he was hoping it would be replaced then but it wasn't. He told abc13 no serious injuries have occurred in the accidents, to the judge's knowledge, because usually the equipment bears the brunt of the damage.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for Texas Disposal Systems issued the following statement regarding the accident:
"We regret a TDS truck was involved in an incident impacting an overpass in Sealy, TX. We have been told there was a fatality and are saddened by the loss resulting from this incident. Our deepest sympathies go to the family members and friends. An investigation is currently underway by local authorities. TDS is cooperating fully and will also be conducting its own investigation. The truck driver, as reported to us, did not sustain major injuries. We will be in communication with the community and public as relevant information becomes available."