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During a heavy wind storm in San Francisco, California, a fishing trawler crashed into San Mateo bridge. According to Lauren Wonder, a Caltrans spokeswoman, the fishing boat’s transmission appeared to have failed and the skipper lost control of the vessel.
The fishing boat had left Oyster Point in South San Francisco and later crashed into the bridge just east of the high-rise and bounced approximately a mile toward Hayward. It took out three light poles and three call boxes and dented eight additional light poles.
The fishing boat eventually came to a stop against a concrete piling approximately three miles west of the toll plaza and ran aground in the 4-foot-deep bay. A man, woman and dog were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. A third person on the fishing boat was able to escape to safety after climbing up the steel mast that had snagged on a light pole and then jumping onto the bridge shoulder, according to Caltrans.
Dozens of contractors took on the challenge of dislodging the 25-ton fishing trawler from the bridge, by using chain saws and torches. They worked diligently to dismantle the abandoned, partially sunken vessel.
It is still unclear the amount of diesel fuel that could have leaked from the trawler. The owner of the trawler said that its tanks contained about 4,000 gallons, but the U.S. Coast Guard said they pumped only about 1,300 gallons of diesel from the boat.
The owner of the fishing trawler will most likely be responsible for the damage to the bridge and the cost of removing his vessel. The estimated cost is $500,000.
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