ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Louis-area man has quite a story to tell about what happened on his way to work last week. It’s a story about highway infrastructure, a close call, and Steve Yarber’s cool-headed driving skills.
“Something bounced off my car hood and hit the windshield,” said Yarber. “I didn’t know it at the time, I just saw the windshield shatter in front of me. On the driver’s side hood, you can see where it bounced up. And I’ve had the windshield replaced so I can drive the car, again.”
It happened on his way to work, Thursday. Yarber was heading east on Highway 370, under the overpass for Earth City Expressway, also known as Highway 141.
After an object struck the hood of his car, it hit his windshield right in front of the driver’s seat.
“I immediately looked in my rear-view mirror to see if there was a truck or somebody on the bridge that had dropped something and didn’t see anything, so I concluded it was probably from the bridge, itself,” Yarber said.
Yarber said it was startling.
“I knew I had a car to the right,” he said, “and the median to the left. So, when it happened, I just focused on steering through it and staying in my lane to prevent another accident from happening."
He said the responding police officer confirmed what he experienced.
“The police officer came out, ran his finger across the debris and said, ‘This is concrete. Something big fell on your car,’ Yarber said. "And that’s when I decided to contact MoDOT directly.”
MoDOT officials said crews were dispatched immediately after receiving the report. The investigation could take a few weeks to complete.
Yarber said he's counting his blessings that he survived to see his three grandchildren, a photo of whom hangs from his rearview mirror.
“The timing was impeccable,” he said. “Had it been a fraction of a second sooner, it would have hit the windshield first, and possibly came through, because it looks like it was a large piece of debris.”
A MoDOT website identifies poor and weight-restricted bridges in the state. That website indicates 60% of Missouri’s bridges are beyond their original intended life.
Federal Highway Administration records show that overpass, in particular, was built in 1991 and gets nearly 18,000 cars every day. In the most recent inspection, August of 2020, the deck, superstructure, and substructure were all rated a 6, "satisfactory condition."