Man Accused Of Causing I-85 Collapse Says It Turned His Life Around
Basil Eleby (center) sits in the Davis Bozeman law firm on the anniversary of the I-85 bridge collapse.
Stephannie Stokes / WABE
It’s been a year since a fire brought down a section of Interstate 85. The collapse led to weeks of heavy traffic around metro Atlanta.
But for the man accused of starting the fire, it was a turning point for the better.
On Friday morning, Basil Eleby sat between his lawyers, wearing a navy suit coat. He was smiling.
Eleby maintained that he didn’t light the fire that swallowed the interstate bridge. He still said that he was a scapegoat.
But he couldn’t ignore what that accusation did for him. He’d been homeless, living under the bridge and addicted to drugs and alcohol.
“It took all this just to get my life turned around,” Eleby said. “I think it’s working out for the better.”
Eleby is now doing work for the Davis Bozeman law firm, which defended him, and completing an 18-month drug program.
In the next year, Eleby and his lawyers said he plans to get a full-time job, get his own place and remain sober.
The fire under the bridge engulfed materials that the Georgia Department of Transportation had been storing there.
Natalie Dale, a spokesperson for GDOT, said the agency took steps right away to make sure it couldn’t happen again.
“The day after the bridge collapse we sent a directive to all of our districts to ensure there was no storage of this type being done anywhere else in the state,” she said.”
Ultimately, Dale said GDOT didn’t find any other flammable material under state bridges.
The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the storage practice that led to the fire. That report is expected soon.
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