14 Hurt When Unfinished Maryland Bridge Collapses

A bridge being built over the Baltimore-Washington artery collapsed during rush hour Thursday morning as workers poured its concrete deck, trapping several motorist beneath debris and injuring 14 people, authorities said.

One victim, Kimberly Anderson of Elkridge, was listed in critical condition with multiple injuries. She was one of five commuters in two cars that were caught under a hail of wet concrete, metal and wood on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

None of the other victims, including nine construction workers, had serious injuries, authorities said.

Investigators were focusing on the false work, or shoring, that supports the concrete road surface while it cures and sets. The workers had poured about 200 tons of concrete and were tow-thirds of the way through when the bridge collapsed in the middle, said Gene McCormick, deputy administrator for the Federal Highway Administration.

“Thee shoring basically collapsed. We suspect the shoring is probably the cause of the failure. We have no specific conclusions at this point,” McCormick said.

Rescue workers initially feared that more cars were trapped under a 10-foot-tall pile of debris and carefully removed pieces of gooey concrete, wood and metal by hand.

By late morning, however, rescuers said it appeared that all of the victims had been rescued.