One of her horses won Novice Horse of the Year for the Bluebonnet Barrel Racing Association in 19, and was Open Champion in 1998. Automobiles and semi-trucks fell into the water, killing 14 people (including a three-year-old girl) and two horses. A Texas Youth Rodeo champion, she earned regional and national championship trophies in the sport. The I-40 Bridge Disaster happened on a barge collided with a bridge support near Webbers Falls, causing a 580-foot section of the I-40 bridge to plunge into the Robert S. Shanahan was considered one of the better riders on the circuit. "You'd see her out there from daylight to sunset," he said. 'If it had to happen, its a thing that God had some piece. The Tulsa World reported the vehicle had been recovered along with the bodies of three horses.ĭavid Van Loh, a 66-year-old neighbor of Shanahan's, said rain and blistering heat couldn't keep her from long hours with the horses she trained on her property. WEBBERS FALLS, Oklahoma - People in Webbers Falls are remembering the lives lost when the I-40 bridge collapsed 20 years ago. Shanahan and Green were traveling in a trailer emblazoned with the name of Kay Blandford. "Gail's been riding horses since she was knee high to a duck. "It's been hard to accept," said Arline Blandford, 74, whose daughter-in-law, Kay Blandford, rode Shanahan's horses in the competition. On Monday, friends and neighbors sat solemnly together in Shanahan's home while her fiance flew to Arkansas to identify her body. News of the women's deaths spread quickly through the tight-knit network of barrel racers and horse lovers here. Shanahan flew to Arkansas on Saturday to watch her horses compete in barrel-racing events, and was accompanying Green, a friend and fellow horse handler, on the long drive back to Stockdale, 35 miles southeast of San Antonio. Shanahan and Green were returning from Fort Smith, Ark., where Shanahan's horses had won $7,000 in prize money at the Old Fort Days Futurity and Super Derby, the Express-News reported. The crime begins in southeastern Oklahoma near Webbers Falls where busy Interstate Highway 40. Maggie Green of San Antonio was riding with Shanahan, who lived in nearby Stockdale, the San Antonio Express-News reported in Tuesday editions. Realtime driving directions to Webbers Falls I-40 Bridge Memorial, Webbers Falls, based on live traffic updates. Local and state dignitaries are expected to attend the Memorial Day event.Gail Shanahan, a 49-year-old horse trainer, was hauling her prize-winning horses home on Sunday morning when a barge hit two support beams of a bridge along Interstate 40 at Webbers Falls, toppling a 500-foot section into the Arkansas River. It features a clock stopped at the time of the collision and a statue of a child releases a dove. Oklahoma artist Shahla Rahimi-Reynolds designed the bronze and granite memorial which stands along the bank of the river. First responders and others involved in the aftermath of the bridge collapse will also be recognized. Related Story: Truck Driver, Fisherman Reunite 10 Years After I-40 Bridge Collapseįamily members and other supporters will attend the memorial dedication hosted by Webbers Falls Mayor Jewell Horne, according to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. More than 500 feet of the four-lane structure collapsed into the river, causing cars and tractor trailer trucks to plunge into the water. Fourteen people lost their lives when a barge hit piers supporting an Interstate 40 bridge over the Arkansas River on May 26, 2002. A memorial to the victims of the Webbers Falls bridge collapse will be dedicated at 10 a.m.
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