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Investigators Release More Information About 695 Accident

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- We now know more about the damage done to a highway overpass after a bizarre accident on the Beltway Monday. Inspectors spent more than seven hours examining the spot where a truck slammed into the I-95 South overpass.

Derek Valcourt has more on the accident and the repairs that need to be done.

One of the support beams on the overpass needs to be replaced. Luckily for drivers who use this road, that inconvenience won't come until spring.

On 695 South, traffic zips along beneath the 95 South overpass. You have to look closely for signs of the damage done Monday when the massive arm of a backhoe riding on top of a tractor trailer slammed into the bridge, locking up traffic for hours on two of the busiest highways in the region.

"Obviously, we wouldn't have any traffic on 95 or 695 if we had any concerns about safety," said Dave Buck, State Highway Administration.

From Sky Eye Chopper 13, you can see the shoulder of 95 South on the overpass has been blocked off. That's because state highway officials found damage to two of the outermost support beams, beams that sit under the shoulder of the road.

From underneath the overpass, you can see where those first two beams have been damaged and inspectors say it's the first beam that needs to be replaced.

"These bridges are built with redundancy so that if something happened to that outermost beam, like this, or something happened to the second-most beam, like this, the rest of the bridge can take that load. It disperses the weight amongst the rest of the bridge. That's why it's still not only standing but in good shape today," Buck said.

The State Highway Administration plans weekly inspections on the overpass until permanent repairs can be made in the spring.

Meanwhile, Rufus and Patricia Charles have repairs of their own to deal with. Their car suffered minor damage when the truck struck the overpass next to them.

"We're really blessed we're not hurt. We really are. Thank God that even the driver who was driving the tractor trailer was not hurt either, because that could have been really a bad, bad accident," said Patricia Charles.

The repairs to the overpass won't be cheap and the state says that bill will be sent to the company that owns the tractor trailer.

State police say the driver of the tractor trailer now faces federal and state transport charges that carry fines of up to $280.

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