HOUMA -- A wide barge travelling east on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway slammed into the Downtown Houma Marina this morning, causing significant damage to the bayou overlook.

According to witnesses, the barge, pushed by two tugboats, was travelling down the Intracoastal approaching the twinspan bridges. It struck a metal piling at the Intracoastal and Bayou Terrebonne, said John Brasseaux, from Denham Springs. He was fishing at the marina with two friends and witnessed the accident.

“We thought that it had struck something in the water,” said Mike Lavergne from Broussard, who also witnessed the accident.

The barge overcorrected to the left and smashed into the Downtown Marina overlook, the men said. The force of the hit caused the back of the barge to swing left and strike another set of pilings near the trio's fishing spot.

The force of the crash shook the ground the men were standing on, Brasseaux said.

“It made a loud boom,” said Chad Boutte, also from Broussard. “We thought it had struck the bridge supports at first. I took off running. I thought the bridge was going to come down.”

Once the barge freed itself from the marina debris, it continued east down the Intracoastal and left the scene, Brasseaux said. Coast Guard officials said the barge pulled over and called them to report the accident immediately.

The overlook remains closed this afternoon. The collision caused significant damage to the marina bulkhead, shifted part of the overlook backward off its foundation and bent back the overlook railing.

The metal pilings were also scraped and crushed inward.

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