A bridge at Denver International Airport partially fell on top of a Regional Transportation District bus that was too tall to squeeze underneath it Sunday morning.
Shortly after 6 a.m., an RTD driver set out to start a new route shuttling passengers in lieu of the University of Colorado A-Line, which is temporarily closed for construction, RTD spokesman Scott Reed said. He missed his turn, though, and continued heading straight until he came upon the 9-foot bridge.
The bus didn’t have the clearance to fit under the bridge, striking it and causing it to partially collapse.
The driver, 56-year-old Johnie Watkins, had minor, non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital, Reed said. He has been a bus operator with RTD for nearly five years and had been trained on the DIA routes in and out of the transit center.
The Denver Police Department cited Watkins with careless driving. There were no passengers on board.
The airport closed the bridge, which is located at the entrance of the east parking lot, and the roadway leading up to it, airport spokeswoman Emily Williams said. The airport is assessing the bridge to make sure it is structurally sound.
The bridge is not in a highly trafficked area and should not have an impact on people heading to and from the airport, she said. Similarly, the crash did not affect bus schedules.
CRASH ALERT: At DIA, entrance to East parking garage. NO passengers on board, driver sustained minor injuries.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice)
Flatiron Flyer doesn’t fit! Looks like this bus is wedged in there pretty good in the East Parking lot at
— Eric English (@EricEnglish777)
Another view. Yikes! Clearance is 9’.
— Amanda del Castillo (@AmandaDTV)
