Today marks 60th anniversary of Second Narrows Bridge collapse

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Sunday marks the 60th anniversary of the worst industrial accident in Vancouver history — the collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge, which connects Vancouver to the North Shore.

The June 17, 1958 tragedy saw a newly constructed span collapse at 3:40pm, sending the bridge and the 79 workers on it, into the Burrard Inlet. 18 people initially died but the accident would claim the life of a 19th life — a diver — two days later.

Survivors, family members of the victims and politicians came together at the site of the tragedy Sunday afternoon to remember the accident and honour the lives lost.

“A lot of ironworkers and I knew quite a few of them,” says Byron Maine, one of four remaining survivors “The ones that survived and a lot that I know, died.”

Maine says memorial ceremonies like the one held Sunday are important so the incident and the people who lost their lives aren’t forgotten.

Speaking at the ceremony with the bridge standing behind him, another survivor, Lou Lessard says he was in his 20’s when he set foot on the bridge for the first time and can’t believe 60 years have gone by.

“The fallen bridge made many orphans, widows. Parents lost their children and siblings lost brother.” He says the tragedy also claimed the lives of the unborn children of the victims.

“We will never know how many children did not grace this earth or who they would have became or how they would have contributed to the world around us.”

His daughter Patricia, only 22 months at the time, says she unknowingly won the lottery when her dad survived. “All around him, men were injured and dying, families irreversibly changed by an unimaginable but real tragedy.”

Some of the first responders that fateful day also in attendance. Phil Nuytten was one of the rescue divers. “I will never forget what happened that day, so many years ago, no will I forget those who were taken from their loved ones,” he says.

Construction of the span began in 1957 and officially opened on Aug. 25, 1960. It was renamed the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in 1994 due in large part to former Premier Mike Harcourt.

“Everybody in the cabinet and caucus said this was the right thing to do. To remain the bridge,” he told the crowd.

4 more people would lose their lives throughout the building of the bridge, bringing the total number of lives lost during the construction to 23.

New documentary tells story

The tale of the incident is being retold in The Bridge.

Filmmaker George Orr uses never-before-seen footage taken by Peter Hall, a young draftsman on the project.

“Who I understood had 3,000 feet of colour film of the construction of the bridge that nobody had ever seen. It was sitting on a shelf in his closet gathering dust… I couldn’t believe it. I phoned him up, asked him what he had, he told me, and I got on a ferry, and we got together.”

Orr feels the tragedy is a story that continues to haunt us.

“Just because it’s 60 years ago, it still has its impact. And because this is the 60th [anniversary], and there [are] three survivors left, and there are poignant lovely old men, there’s a real sadness to this and real realization that sometimes when we push progress, we push a little too hard.”

Orr adds some positives did come out of this, including a dedicated program at BCIT, the first of its kind in North America that is now the model for ironworkers training.

That 16 millimetre footage documents the project from the pouring of the concrete to the ribbon cutting ceremony.

A documentary about the disaster is debuts this weekend. The Bridge screens at the VanCity Theatre in Downtown Vancouver at 3:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today