On 5 January, 1975, a ship, the SS Lake Illawarra, carrying 10,000 tons of zinc concentrate crashed into the bridge. This caused two of the columns and three spans of the bridge to collapse into the river. The ship sank quickly in the deep water. Four cars fell into the river killing five people, and seven members of the ship's crew were also killed. Several cars were able to stop, with their front wheels hanging over the edge. 