4 Autos Plunge Into River as Bridge Collapses

A temporary bridge collapsed Friday, plunging as many as four automobiles into the swollen Great Miami River, and the people inside were feared dead. A child was found dead in a creek flooded by the same heavy rains.

Widespread flooding in southwestern Ohio sent people scurrying to rooftops and high ground. One couple and their 10-year-old son were stranded on the roof of their house from morning until 5:30 p.m. when rescuers reached them by boat, the Butler County Sheriff’s Department said.

In Camden, rescuers used lifelines and boats to lead 30 occupants of a trailer park through chest-high water to safety. A total of 200 people were forced from their homes in the town of about 1,900 people southwest of Dayton.

Divers recovered the body of 20-month-old Brandon K. Irwin of Springfield in Donnels Creek, northeast of Dayton, about 7:30 p.m., the sheriff’s department said.

Swept Out of Reach

Four hours earlier, authorities received a report that Brandon wandered away from his grandmother, fell into the creek from a bridge and was swept out of her reach. Sheriff’s Lt. Vaughn McKenney said two helicopters helped rescuers search for the boy.

Swift currents and the danger of floating debris prevented rescuers from going into the river where the bridge collapsed near Miamitown, about seven miles east of Cincinnati, authorities said.

Witnesses gave varying accounts of two to four vehicles falling into the river, said Bruce Smith, chief of the Colerain Township Fire Department.

Hamilton County Sheriff’s Lt. Col. Ramon Hoffbauer, when asked if anyone could have survived a plunge into the river said: “I wouldn’t think so.

“The current is moving pretty fast. I can’t tell you how fast, but the rescue crews didn’t go into the water at all,” Hoffbauer said.

Bill Brayshaw, deputy county engineer, said an engineer at the scene of the accident, 15 miles west of here, had wanted to close the bridge. “He must have called me just moments before the collapse,” Brayshaw said.