Man Falls to His Death after Trying to Escape Oncoming Semi
An unidentified man from Maryland jumped to his death off a bridge over the Clark Fork River near Superior after colliding with another vehicle on the bridge, and when he saw a semi truck sliding towards him, he dove over the bridge railing.
Mineral County Undersheriff Wayne Cashman provides details to KGVO News.
“Yesterday (Monday) at approximately eight o'clock in the morning there was a two vehicle accident on the bridge right before the Superior exit at approximately mile post 47,” said Undersheriff Cashman. “The two vehicles came to rest in the middle of the bridge. One of the drivers involved got out of his vehicle to check on the driver of the other vehicle and he realized everybody was okay at that time.”
Cashman described what happened next.
“He saw a semi that was slowing down but also sliding and coming towards them,” he said. “We found out later in the day that he was from out of the area; he's from back East. As the semi got close, because he was out of his vehicle, he dove over the barrier of the bridge, of course not knowing that is approximately a 60 to 80 foot drop down to the Clark Fork River. So he dove to avoid being hit by the semi and was killed by the fall.”
Cashman said personnel from the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office and Mineral County Fore recovered the man’s body.
“In our office we are coroners as well as law enforcement officers, so with the help of Superior Fire and Superior Ambulance, our deputies were able to walk down and recover the body,” he said.
Cashman said the individual was unfamiliar with the area and that may have contributed to the accident.
“Probably (he jumped) to avoid being hit, but I wouldn't know,” he said. “I wasn't on the scene. But I would imagine that with him just being out of his vehicle, and as tight as the bridge is, I mean, it's just two lanes. There's not a whole lot of maneuvering room. It was interstate 90 westbound and it was at milepost 41, that’s the exit right before the Superior exit.”
The man’s name is being withheld until his family can be notified.