The Morning of Meeting to Discuss Sylvan Avenue Bridge's Future, a Tragic Accident

A lengthy list of city officials and stakeholders have been invited to tonight's meeting in West Dallas called to discuss plans to shut down the Sylvan Avenue bridge for a year to make way for its out-of-the-floodway replacement. No doubt today's tragic news will be added to the discussion topics:...

By Robert Wilonsky

October 7, 2010

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A lengthy list of city officials and stakeholders have been invited to tonight's meeting in West Dallas called to discuss plans to shut down the Sylvan Avenue bridge for a year to make way for its out-of-the-floodway replacement. No doubt today's tragic news will be added to the discussion topics: Dallas police report that at about 11:30 this morning, officers received numerous calls from drivers who'd seen a car go over the bridge.

According to an official police release, a man in his 60s lost control of his car, took out an enormous chunk of guard rail and plummeted 30 feet into the Trinity River; his car landed upside-down. Police say several witnesses tried to save the man; DPD now reports he died on the scene. There are various accounts of what happened -- some witnesses have said the man may have been speeding. But there is no police report yet, as the accident is presently under investigation -- the bridge is presently closed -- and next of kin have yet to be notified. Updates forthcoming.

Update at 3:46 p.m.: After initially reporting that the driver had died, DPD now says: "He's in critical condition and has been transported to Parkland," per spokesperson Janice Crowther.

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