{"id":6640,"date":"2016-03-23T00:13:27","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T04:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=6640"},"modified":"2016-03-23T15:21:24","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T19:21:24","slug":"misadventure-on-the-fort-pitt-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2016\/03\/23\/misadventure-on-the-fort-pitt-bridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Misadventure on the Fort Pitt Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Motorists <\/a>
Motorists gather around the overturned Chevrolet. (Morris Berman\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The effort begins. (Morris Berman\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Success <\/a>
Success is at hand. (Morris Berman\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sparks <\/a>
Sparks fly, helpers scatter. (Morris Berman\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Walking <\/a>
Walking away from the wreckage. (Morris Berman\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Smoke <\/a>
Smoke rises over the bridge. (Morris Berman\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"PG <\/a>
PG coverage of the incident. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pittsburgh <\/a>
Pittsburgh Press coverage of the incident. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\nAt the beginning of rush hour on a Friday afternoon in 1967, a young man driving one of those massive Chevrolets from the Eisenhower era accelerated up the Carson Street ramp to the Fort Pitt Bridge.<\/p>\n

Ahead of him loomed a slow-moving\u00a0tractor-trailer rig. The young man wanted to pass that rig. He pressed his foot on the accelerator.<\/p>\n

None of us on the Digs staff qualifies as an expert on vintage automobiles, but we looked carefully at pictures of the car the young man was driving, then conducted some quick internet research and determined the vehicle was a 1955 Bel Air. A two-door hardtop, weighing 3,456 pounds. (If we\u2019re wrong, feel free to correct us in the comments section below. UPDATE: See Sean’s comments below. He says\u00a0it’s a Chevrolet 210<\/em>). Perhaps the vehicle was powered by a V8 engine, an option on a Bel Air. If so, it could be a lot of vehicle to handle, especially when accelerating up a narrow, curving ramp.<\/p>\n

At some point during the passing maneuver, the young man lost control of the Chevrolet and the car began to skid. His correction proved too severe and the vehicle plowed onto the concrete curbing, scraped against the bridge\u2019s railing, then flipped.<\/p>\n

Traffic on the ramp skidded to a halt as the Chevrolet came to rest on its roof. Motorists who\u2019d witnessed the crash no doubt wondered about the health of the person behind the wheel. Was he seriously injured? Did he need assistance?<\/p>\n

Within moments the driver\u00a0crawled from the Chevy\u2019s passenger compartment. Newspapers identified him\u00a0as Gerald T. Clark, 24, of McKees Rocks, and he\u00a0seemed in remarkably good shape for someone who\u2019d just rolled an automobile.<\/p>\n

Because this is Pittsburgh, several motorists exited their cars, gathered around the Chevrolet, pondered the problem before them and devised\u00a0a plan. They moved to one side of the automobile, then began to push. Rolling such a heavy vehicle must have been a difficult task, but the group managed. Within moments, the Chevy was upright. Almost. The helpful motorists had rolled the automobile partially onto the bridge\u2019s concrete railing and so now it rested at an angle. Well, at least it was no longer upside down.<\/p>\n

That’s when trouble began.<\/p>\n

Sparks popped from under the hood. Those who had moments before congratulated themselves on successfully uprighting the Chevrolet suddenly took notice of the gasoline spilled on the car and roadway and realized correctly this was a sticky situation. They scattered.<\/p>\n

Flames quickly rose from beneath the car and snaked their way over the body. Clark walked away, looking a bit puzzled. His afternoon and his car were total wrecks. This was a bad start to a weekend.<\/p>\n

Soon the car was ablaze. A plume of thick, black smoke rose over the bridge. Folks downtown looked out and wondered what disaster was unfolding across the river.<\/p>\n

Finally, firefighters\u00a0arrived and the flames were doused. Clark\u2019s charred vehicle was removed and traffic once again flowed from Carson Street to the bridge. Clark\u00a0was taken to Mercy Hospital, where he was treated for abrasions to his hands and face.<\/p>\n

A stunning sequence of images documenting the young man\u2019s misadventure graced the front page of the next day\u2019s Post-Gazette. Nearly 50 years later, we found those pictures and wondered if the driver of the Chervolet was still around. We made several phone calls in an attempt to locate Mr. Clark, but were unsuccessful. If he\u2019s reading this story, we ask that he drop us a note. We\u2019d love to hear about his memories of that day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disaster strikes after motorists step up to offer assistance.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesMisadventure on the Fort Pitt Bridge<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[948],"tags":[975,962,1024,1349,1014],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Digs.IntroImage.jpg?fit=1296%2C669&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6674,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2016\/03\/29\/about-that-slender-guy-in-the-unbuttoned-shirt\/","url_meta":{"origin":6640,"position":0},"title":"About that slender guy in the unbuttoned shirt","date":"March 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\"He was in total shock,\" witness says of the driver of overturned vehicle.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Digs.carfire004a-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C825&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5861,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2015\/09\/16\/how-did-the-fort-pitt-bridge-get-its-color\/","url_meta":{"origin":6640,"position":1},"title":"How did the Fort Pitt Bridge get its color?","date":"September 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"If the Fort Pitt Bridge doesn't look good it takes away some of Pittsburgh's glamor.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/FortPittBridgePainted-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C822&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1573,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/07\/24\/pittsburghs-bridge-to-nowhere\/","url_meta":{"origin":6640,"position":2},"title":"Pittsburgh’s bridge to nowhere","date":"July 24, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"The Fort Duquesne Bridge now serves as a connection between Downtown and the North Side, spanning the Allegheny River. 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