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Debris killed SUV driver after excavator struck bridge over I-25

The arm of the excavator which was being pulled on a trailer struck the bridge over the highway near Mead.

MEAD, Colorado — A 32-year-old Loveland woman was killed when large pieces of debris fell from a bridge over Interstate 25 and went through her windshield just after the bridge was hit by the arm of an excavator.

The crash happened just after 6 p.m. Monday at Exit 245, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said. The Colorado State Patrol said a northbound semi-truck was pulling an excavator. As it went under the Weld County Road 34 bridge near Mead, the arm of the excavator collided with the concrete crossbeams which sent large pieces of debris onto the victim's Honda SUV.

One piece of debris went through the windshield killing the woman who was driving, CSP said. A 10-year-old passenger in the SUV was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, CSP said. The relationship between the woman and child is not known at this time. The Weld County coroner identified the woman Tuesday afternoon as Megan Mirella Arneson.

Charges are anticipated in the crash, according to a CSP.

SKY9 captured damage to the underside of an overpass, as well as damaged construction equipment on its side in the traffic lanes. A semi-truck pulling a flatbed trailer was stopped nearby.

Credit: KUSA

The highway was closed in both directions for hours but reopened to traffic around 1 a.m. Tuesday, CDOT said.

A spokesperson for the agency said that bridge teams assessed the damage and determined it was safe for cars to travel on the highway under it. They are not reopening Weld County Road 34 for traffic at this time as assessments of its safety continue.

Credit: KUSA

RELATED: Wheel dislodged from truck hit car's windshield on I-25

RELATED: Truck driver in I-25 crash that killed 5 was driving with canceled license, CSP says

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