LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The cross beam that was knocked onto US 95 killing veteran police officer Justin Terry was reconstructed late Friday allowing southbound traffic to resume under the new structure.
The haunting scene of the bar falling, however, has stuck with many would-be travelers like Clarence Prevost.
"Man, it's scary," Prevost said. "Definitely feel for the officer and his family and anyone involved, and you would hope our highways would be safer than that."
He said the beam's presence over the interstate made him nervous that it could happen again.
FULL COVERAGE: Las Vegas police officer killed by fallen beam on US 95
"If they put that up that's crazy man," he said. "You'd think they would shut the area down for a few days."
Nevada Department of Transportation Spokesman Justin Hopkins said the beam apparently failed on its first impact."
"This beam has been up since January," he said.
Hopkins said the answers on why the beam failed would have to wait for investigations from Nevada State Police and NDOT, but one thing was clear to his team.
He said the failure was unprecedented.
"That cross beam is welded at the brace," he said, "and my engineers out there tell me they've never seen the situation like today where a vehicle hit that beam and it's fallen down. That beam is not designed to fall down."
Hopkins said there was no clear timeline for when the investigations would be completed.
