Part of overpass falls in St. Louis; woman reportedly hurt

ST. LOUIS -- A large piece of an overpass fell onto Interstate 55 in south St. Louis Thursday, hitting a car and leaving a woman injured.

It happened around 8 p.m. when a concrete sidewalk and a railing along the edge of the Delor Street overpass fell. Only one car was struck, and reports said the woman's injuries were not life-threatening. Calls to the Missouri State Highway Patrol seeking information on the woman were not answered.

I-55 was shut down in both directions after the collapse.

Missouri Department of Transportation crews were trying to determine the extent of the damage and if there was a threat of further collapse. Crews also were trying to remove the huge piece of concrete from the interstate.

The fallen piece of concrete spread across all four northbound lanes. STLtoday.com, the Web site for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, described the debris as 4 feet wide and 30 feet long.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the collapse. The St. Louis area had some rain earlier Thursday, and the region had strong winds throughout the day.