Floating Restaurant Breaks Free and Hits Bridge in Kentucky
According to WCPO 9 in Cincinnati, on February 6, a floating restaurant located on the Ohio River broke free from the shore and hit a bridge. This was not the first time that the Waterfront had broken away and hit the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. Back in 2011, it broke loose and crashed into the bridge with 120 people on board. The restaurant has been closed since then, but is in the process of being renovated with plans to reopen in the spring of 2015.
This latest accident happened around 7 a.m., and was reportedly caused by ice from the Licking River smashing into the restaurant, which led to it breaking free from the shore.
“They were 100 feet by eight inches thick,” a Waterfront maintenance worker who was on board repairing the hull said of the chunks of ice that struck the restaurant. After enough of the massive ice chunks pounded the Waterfront, the cable holding it to the water’s edge snapped, which allowed it to drift 9 miles until it struck the C.W. Baily Bridge.
“Engineers checked out the bridge and found no damage,” said Covington Fire Chief Dan Matthew.
Two maintenance workers repairing the hull were the only ones on board the Waterfront at the time of the accident. Neither of the men were hurt, although a towboat had to rescue one of them. The restaurant itself sustained damages to the electrical and gas lines and had its side smashed in by a tree.
Nationwide Maritime Attorneys That Handle Boating Accidents
If you or a loved was injured on the water, our Boston maritime attorneys can help. As nationwide maritime trial lawyer Carolyn Latti explains in the video above, for over 50 years our firm has been representing a wide variety of maritime injury victims, including but not limited to commercial fishermen, cruise ship and yacht passengers, merchant seamen, recreational boaters and longshoremen.
For more information about maritime law and boating accidents or to discuss your situation with a qualified attorney, call our office today to schedule a free consultation.
Latti & Anderson LLP – Nationwide Maritime Attorneys