Spencer, WV Spencer State Hospital Bridgeway Collapse, Jun 1948

One Dead, 17 Injured When Bridgeway Collapses

SPENCER, W. Va., June 19. -- One woman patient was killed and 17 others were injured here last night when a third-floor bridgeway between two buildings of Spencer State Hospital collapsed.

DR. EDWARD K. HAWKE, superintendent of the hospital, identified the woman killed as MRS. MINNIE SIMS, 57, a widow, of East Rainelle, W. Va. She is survived by a brother, W. C. VESTAL of East Rainelle.

Spencer Hospital, a mental institution, houses nearly 1,000 patients.

DR. HAWKE said that the women were returning from a motion picture showing when the bridge collapsed. MRS. SIMS suffered fractures of both legs and died of complications, the superintendent said.

Ten other patients suffered fractured legs and seven others suffered minor injuries. One of the injured was a hospital employe.

The bridge, constructed of concrete and steel, was an open-air structure. When the bridge floor collapsed, the women were thrown 12 feet to a similar bridgeway on the second floor level directly underneath.

The Daily Courier Connellsville Pennsylvania 1948-06-19
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!