Driver “cleared of all fault” in historic bridge collapse in Maryland

A truck driver says he has been “cleared of all fault” after the collapse of a historic bridge in Maryland earlier this week. 

The Carroll Road Bridge in Baltimore County, Maryland collapsed on Monday, October 20th when a septic tanker truck driven by John Cossentino attempted to cross the bridge. By Wednesday, October 23rd, engineers were still working to determine the best way to remove the tanker truck and other debris.  

“Our engineers are at the scene assessing the situation, determining with contractors what the best course of action will be in the short-term and long-term,” said Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation spokesman Ron Snyder.

Cossentino was not hurt, but has described the incident as “like a bad dream.” 

“The bridge had collapsed first, which had triggered the tree to fall. There is a cattle fence, there was two big metal wires connecting the two trees together. When the bridge went down, the side of the bridge fell on this big metal cord. A cattle fence that was probably installed over 100 years ago. It’s like an elevator shaft cable, very thick. When the bridge collapsed, it triggered the tree to fall,” Cossentino explained to WBAL. “Glass was shattering on me, a big beam on the bridge came down on me; it was like a bad dream.”

The bridge was originally built in 1879, and was refurbished in 2006. At the time of the collapse, the bridge was rated at a 51,000 pound weight limit – considerably higher than the weight of the septic tanker truck. 

“I have been cleared of all fault,” Cossentino said. “They weighed every single ounce of my truck and every single ounce of the load that I was carrying. I was 10,000 pounds under the certified limit.”

Inspectors downgraded the rating of the Carroll Road Bridge from ‘satisfactory’ to ‘fair’ in 2023 due to decaying timber and loose bolts. Those defects reportedly did not warrant an immediate response. The Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation inspects the bridges on two year cycles, following federal and state requirements. The collapse is still under investigation.