A recent bridge accident on Colonial Parkway near Williamsburg serves as a reminder of the danger posed by aging or damaged bridges.
The bridge, over Powhatan Creek between Williamsburg and Jamestown, was struck by an unidentified boat on July 24, the National Park Service told The Virginian-Pilot. No one involved reported the crash and authorities were not notified until recreational boaters noticed the damage afterwards.
The Daily Press of Newport News reported that the bridge will be closed for at least four months while the damaged bridge piling is repaired. The repairs will coincide with a planned resurfacing of the bridge.
“First and foremost, we are thankful that the Powhatan Creek bridge did not collapse beneath the weight of any vehicles prior to the discovery of the damage and that this very serious situation caused no injuries,” Park Superintendent Dan Smith wrote in a statement on the National Park Service Web site. “We recognize the importance of the Colonial Parkway to the local transportation system as well as area tourism and are working to fix the damage and reopen the Parkway as quickly and safely as possible.”
America’s aging infrastructure is vulnerable to accidents like the one near Williamsburg. In 2007, the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 and injuring 145.
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Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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