Fatal Bridge Accident, 1967 Pontiac Firebird Crossing Bridge, 1977 Appalachia Flood Video

www,HistoryInYourOwnBackyard.com
[e-mail]
812-623-5727
The Leeman Field Bridge, Pennington Gap, Virginia
In June of 2023 I was driving along Route 421 in Pennington Gap, Virginia when I noticed a bridge abutment and piers from a former bridge. Well I had to stop and check it out.
So after doing some research I was able to find out that the former bridge was probably built around 1940 and replaced with the current bridge sometime after 1994 as this is when these black & white photos were taken. The current bridge is reported to have been built by the National Guard.
Speaking with a few local people I was able to find out that the former bridge had a wooden floor with rickety wooden side rails. Unfortunately one evening a man and young girl were leaving the fairgrounds and while crossing the bridge the car went off to the side and crashed into Wallen Creek below. It was reported that the girl didn’t survive the accident.
I was lucky enough to come across this video of the April 1977 flood shot by Gerald Peters. The flood hit the entire region of Appalachia but in this clip of the Pennington Gap area, look closely and you can see the former bridge.
GPS Location: 36º46'00.5"N 83º01'48.3"W

[@user-ky9qc2tp8u]

Hey I'm famous! That was me in the 67 firebird.

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

Sorry for not getting the year right. What do you have in it?

[@jimp0731]

sounded like a 4 spd 326 👍🏻

[@user-ky9qc2tp8u]

327 4 speed been trying to drive it more often really hard on them to sit. I bought it in high school back in 79 and have been working on it ever since, it's part of the family now!

[@paulhare662]

@@user-ky9qc2tp8u I was almost killed in a 67 Firebird back in 1975. 400 tri-power 4 speed. Not my car, I was riding shotgun. Halfway thru 3rd gear it would hook up solid and go where ever it was pointed. We drove over a 240Z and wrecked 6 more cars.

[@musclecarmitch908]

Cool find! Great old film and photos! Thanks for sharing!👍

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

I was lucky to find these pictures and video!

[@aaronschulte3207]

Thank you, safe travels to you 🎉

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

Always!

[@johnswigler6512]

Great work, Satolli 🇺🇸🧢

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

Thanks! It was a good find.

[@grannytmac6483]

It's not Wallen Creek, it's the north fork of the Powell River or Stone Creek. Numerous attempts have been made to have Google correct this.

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

OK, thanks.

[@mpenn672]

The young lady that died when the car flipped over into the rivers name was Janie Couch if im not mistaking. My Dad Hershell Pennington Was one of the people who tried to save her. RIP

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

What year did that happen?

[@mpenn672]

83 maybe @@historyinyourownbackyard2363

[@oooraeooo]

That old bridge was sketchy as heck. I'm looking through my info to see if I have anything on the Guard building the "new" bridge (not so new now).

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

OK, thanks!

[@joeanderson9852]

👍👍

[@charlesdaugherty1691]

They got the wrong date of accident.I helped pull the guy out of the car.He was drunk and didn't want us to pull him out.The car landed upside down in water against bridge buttment.By the time we finally got him out of the driver's side .We found that there was a girl still in the car on the passenger side completely under water. She had already passed.The guy was from Big Stone Gap.Nick name was Bad Eye.Reason I know the date was wrong.I started working in the Mines on 2-14-1974 and I was already working in mines a year or more

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

Thanks for the info!

[@mariabossanova886]

This happened during the Lee County fair around August not during the flood. I was there. The guy who is bragging. If you you were the driver and not an internet troll. You are a low life murderer for driving drunk and unaliving that poor girl.

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

What year did that happen?

[@user-ky9qc2tp8u]

I was there the day he was filming this, not during the accident, and I to remember the accident it was a tragedy, the old bridge was very narrow almost a single lane. Seems like the water was up a little because of recent rain.

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

You were there during the flood or when I was there last summer?@@user-ky9qc2tp8u

[@user-ky9qc2tp8u]

Both I was raised behind Leeman field I was a junior in high school 76-77 when the flood happened all of Leeman field looked like a lake the amount of water is unimaginable, we worked for months cleaning up the mess luckily no lives were lost it was a scarry time indeed. I never noticed you there filming that day seems there are always someone fishing along the river. spent most of my childhood playing on that river, now I volunteer every time we have a clean-up day my way of paying back for all the hours, I spent along the water fishing and just playing in the water.

[@mariabossanova886]

@@user-ky9qc2tp8u I am so sorry for being so rude. Please forgive me.