Broken rail caused Colorado train derailment that collapsed bridge, preliminary findings show

By Matthew Brown

A broken rail caused a train derailment that collapsed a bridge over a Colorado highway, killing a truck driver and blocking the road for days, federal authorities said Tuesday, based on their preliminary investigation.

The steel bridge built in 1958 collapsed Sunday when 30 cars from a BNSF train hauling coal derailed while crossing over Interstate 25 north of Pueblo.

The 60-year-old driver of a semitrailer truck that was passing beneath the bridge was killed.

I-25 is the main north-south route through Colorado. It’s expected to remain closed for several more days as crews clear piles of coal and other debris from the site.