FACT CHECK: Bridges In Ohio And Delaware Were Not Damaged The Same Day As The Baltimore Bridge Collapse
A video shared on Facebook claims the Valley View Bridge in Ohio and the Indian River Bridge in Delaware were both purportedly damaged on Mar. 26, the same day a cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.
Screenshot captured via Facebook
Verdict: False
The claim is false. Spokespersons for the Ohio and Delaware Departments of Transportation denied the claim’s validity in respective emails to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
The U.S. Navy has released 3D images of the Francis Scott Key Bridge taken by divers using an underwater sonar imaging tool, according to Fox News. The bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship on Mar. 26, killing six people, The Associated Press reported.
“Wow what are the chances 3 Major Bridges in 1 Day,” text overlay on the video, shared on Facebook but originally posted to TikTok, reads. Additional text overlay lists the Valley View and Indian River Bridges as purportedly having been damaged on Mar. 26. “America I Hope your Eyes are wide open!!!,” the text says.
The claim is false. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim made via the Facebook video. In fact, the opposite is true. USA Today debunked the claim via an April 2 article.
Likewise, a Mar. 26 article published by Cleveland 19 indicates a “spontaneous combustion” at the landscape supply company Kurtz Bros., Inc. sparked a fire underneath the Valley View Bridge in Ohio. The article did not mention the fire causing any damage to the bridge, however. Additionally, on Mar. 26, WBOC reported a dune breach tcaused flooding in a Delaware led to the Indian River Bridge being shut down. The outlet did not mention the bridge sustaining any damage, either. (RELATED: No, Rome’s ‘Iron Bridge’ Did Not Recently Burn Down)
Furthermore, spokespersons for the Ohio and Delaware Departments of Transportation denied the claim’s validity in respective emails to Check Your Fact.
“There was no damage at all to the bridge,” Matt Bruning, press secretary at the Ohio Department of Transportation, told Check Your Fact.
“No, the Indian River Inlet Bridge was not damaged in any way on March 26th. The bridge is fine,” Robin Bryson, community relations coordinator at the Delaware Department of Transportation, said.
