Two Killed after Truck Plunges from Indiana Bridge

Nov. 07--The bodies of two people were pulled from the Maumee River on Thursday morning after a pickup crashed through the Tecumseh Street bridge.

According to Officer Michael Joyner of the Fort Wayne Police Department, police dispatchers were notified by drivers crossing the bridge that fresh damage was noticeable. A section of the bridge's railing is missing.

Firefighters and police officers were dispatched to the scene at 7:24 a.m. and saw bubbles and an oil sheen on the water's surface. Firefighters then went into the water for a search and rescue operation and recovered the two -- a man and a woman. They also found a white two-door pickup with insignia on the side, possibly some company's vehicle. The truck was upside down on the bridge after being removed from the water.

Joyner said he did not know how long the people were in the water. The bridge has seen multiple accidents over the past few months, Joyner said. The Department of Natural Resources will work with the FWPD to see what the reasons might be.

Tecumseh was blocked from Lake Avenue past the bridge to the south, with multiple police and fire units on the scene at press time.

Copyright 2013 - The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.)