The collapse of a bridge over a Colorado interstate highway was caused by a train derailment that resulted from a broken rail, federal authorities said Tuesday in their preliminary findings. They are investigating how the rail broke and why the crews were not warned about the track condition by the warning systems. The National Transportation Safety Board said there was no evidence of sabotage.
The steel bridge, built in 1958, fell when 30 coal-carrying cars from a BNSF Railway train derailed while crossing Interstate 25. The highway, which is the main north-south route in Colorado, will be closed for several more days. Officials said they expect to remove the coal and the wrecked railcars from the road by Wednesday afternoon, and then assess the damage. A truck driver who died under the bridge was identified as Lafollette Henderson, 60, of Compton, California.