LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, or as it is more often referred, the Second Street Bridge, reopened an hour earlier than expected Saturday, March 2. Traffic began moving across the bridge at 5 p.m. this after a dramatic crash and rescue Friday.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) said two northbound lanes and one southbound lane will reopen to traffic, but the pedestrian sidewalk will remain closed. KYTC engineers have been at the crash site since the accident. Engineers determined the bridge is safe to drive on, saying most of the damage happened to the sidewalk.

KYTC announced during a news conference there have been 20 crashes like the one Friday in the past five years. It estimates 40 million vehicles have crossed the Second Street Bridge during that time.

Just after noon Friday, several vehicles were involved in the crash. Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) say it involved two cars, a pickup truck and the semitruck.

During Saturday’s news conference, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville, shared more details about what happened. According to witnesses, there was a vehicle stalled in the southbound lane on the bridge. It was hit by another vehicle traveling south. The driver of that car lost control and went into the northbound lane and hit the semitruck. The truck then went over the bridge, where the driver remained trapped for over 40 minutes.

Louisville firefighter Bryce Carden, repelled down to save the truck driver, whose name has not been released. She was not hurt. Two other people were taken to the University Hospital with life-threatening injuries. They were both in one of the vehicles involved in the crash. Saturday, Greenberg said one person remains in critical condition. Another driver in the crash was unhurt.