Accident on the Newport Bridge. Date unknown. Can anyone help with further information? 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Accident on the Newport Bridge. Date unknown. Can anyone help with further information?
Our late father (Ivor Davies) was a Police Constable at the time and he was first on the scene. He dived into the Tees to try and save the driver but he was unsuccessful. I can’t recollect him talking of a passenger. He was later awarded a commendation for his efforts.
Suzanne Verrill and Trevor Davies
The driver and the hitch hiker he picked up just minutes before both died in the accident, a relative of mine was one of the first on the scene and along with others tried in vain to reach the vehicle in the water using ropes. There are a number of comments on an earlier photograph which was placed on Picture Stockton on this unfortunate incident.
I REMEMBER THE ACCIDENT ON NEWPORT BRIDGE, I BELIEVE IT WAS AROUND 1965-66, IT WAS A TANKER, AND THE DRIVER HAD PICKED UP A HITCH HIKER JUST BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, I THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE BOTH KILLED.
Not sure if this is it,but there was, sadly, a fatal accident on Newport Bridge in (1966?). A lorry skidded and, as bad luck would have it, went between the bridge pillars and into the river. I think the driver of the lorry and perhaps another person may have died. After the accident the road surface across the bridge was upgraded to try to reduce the chances of vehicles skidding in wet conditions
I think it was in the very late 60″s or early 70″s A tanker went between the mane supports of the bridge causing very little damage to the bridge and the driver lived but was injured, I remember going to have a look I think it was the next day and the tanker had been removed and all we saw was paint and damage to the lower supports of the road part of the bridge .