Bridge Collapse Hearings: Day One

The first day testimonies in the Coast Guard’s Eggners Ferry Bridge hearing revolved around navigation lights. The hearing began yesterday and explored the causes of the January 26 incident involving a Foss Maritime cargo ship that collided with and collapsed a section of the bridge connecting Aurora to Land Between the Lakes.

The Coast Guard worked in conjunction with the National Transportation Safety Board to conduct the investigation. Monday’s testimonies came from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet workers responsible for the maintenance of the bridge’s navigation lights. Coast Guard Court Recorder Nick Parham said officials simply wanted to investigate bridge conditions.

“Basically, today, our focus was on finding out what the conditions was as far as maintenance procedures and upkeep with the bridge," said Parham. He continued, "So really, we were just focused on getting that on the record."

Parham said officials would need to explore other factors regarding the accident before drawing any conclusions. Federal officials are slated to hear from Foss officials aboard the ship during the accident later this week. The hearing is scheduled to conclude Friday but could extend into the weekend.

Listen above to hear a full account from Reporter Casey Northcutt on Monday's Testimony.