The bridge was the site of the famous "Crescent Limited wreck."
On August 23, 1933, a hurricane (known today as the Chesapeake–Potomac Hurricane of 1933) passed over the District of Columbia, bringing 7 inches (177.8 mm) of rain, extensive flooding, and much damage.
Early in the morning on August 24, the Crescent Limited—a high-fare, luxury train catering to wealthy individuals—derailed as it crossed the bridge, plunging the locomotive and some of the passenger cars into the Anacostia River.
Although traveling only 30 miles per hour (50 km/h), the locomotive was hurled nearly 125 feet (40 m) from the point where it left the rails.

The Anacostia's floodwaters had undermined the bridge's central piers, causing the bridge to sag and the rails to separate.
The bridge's destruction had been swift: A track foreman had inspected the bridge 90 minutes before the wreck and found it sound, and a track walker had crossed the bridge just 10 minutes earlier and saw no damage.

There was amazingly little loss of life.
The engineer and fireman were both killed, and 13 passengers injured (but only two severely).
Just 30 passengers were aboard, which limited casualties.
The couplings between the cars also held, preventing more cars from crashing into the river.
Other factors also helped.
When the train left Baltimore, railroad officials warned the engineer to slow down because of conditions created by the hurricane, and the locomotive's steam had been cut off (with the object of allowing the train to coast down the grade into the city).
The cost of the disaster was estimated at between $80,000 and $240,000 ($1,500,000 to $4,500,000 in 2017 dollars).
More than 300 workers began clearing the wreck the next day.

The clearing of the wreck and reconstruction of the bridge was itself the cause of several injuries.
A dredge, several cranes, and a pile-driver were brought on site to shore up the bridge and assist with the removal of debris and wreckage.
Two men were hurt on August 24 by debris and cranes attempting to lift the locomotive from the water.
Two days later, a man was killed when a telephone pole on the bridge toppled over onto him.
The same day, the pile-driver toppled over into the river as well.
Another worker was injured on August 27 after being hit by a boom.
At least one wrongful-death lawsuit was filed.
A temporary single-track span was erected on August 28, and traffic over the bridge resumed shortly thereafter.

An inquest into the wreck was scheduled for August 30.
The inquest determined that flooding caused by the hurricane had undermined the bridge's piers.
There was concern that dredging of the river's bottom, which had been going on since the bridge was completed, may have cause the velocity of the river to speed up and helped undermine the bridge's foundation.
But experts from the Interstate Commerce Commission ruled this out in November 1933.
The bridge was the site of the famous "Crescent Limited wreck." On August 23, 1933, a hurricane (known today as the Chesapeake–Potomac Hurricane of 1933) passed over the District of Columbia, bringing 7 inches (177.8 mm) of rain, extensive flooding, and much damage. Early in the morning on August 24, the Crescent Limited—a high-fare, luxury train catering to wealthy individuals—derailed as it crossed the bridge, plunging the locomotive and some of the passenger cars into the Anacostia River. Although traveling only 30 miles per hour (50 km/h), the locomotive was hurled nearly 125 feet (40 m) from the point where it left the rails.
The Anacostia's floodwaters had undermined the bridge's central piers, causing the bridge to sag and the rails to separate. The bridge's destruction had been swift: A track foreman had inspected the bridge 90 minutes before the wreck and found it sound, and a track walker had crossed the bridge just 10 minutes earlier and saw no damage.
There was amazingly little loss of life. The engineer and fireman were both killed, and 13 passengers injured (but only two severely). Just 30 passengers were aboard, which limited casualties. The couplings between the cars also held, preventing more cars from crashing into the river. Other factors also helped. When the train left Baltimore, railroad officials warned the engineer to slow down because of conditions created by the hurricane, and the locomotive's steam had been cut off (with the object of allowing the train to coast down the grade into the city). The cost of the disaster was estimated at between $80,000 and $240,000 ($1,500,000 to $4,500,000 in 2017 dollars). More than 300 workers began clearing the wreck the next day.
The clearing of the wreck and reconstruction of the bridge was itself the cause of several injuries. A dredge, several cranes, and a pile-driver were brought on site to shore up the bridge and assist with the removal of debris and wreckage. Two men were hurt on August 24 by debris and cranes attempting to lift the locomotive from the water. Two days later, a man was killed when a telephone pole on the bridge toppled over onto him. The same day, the pile-driver toppled over into the river as well. Another worker was injured on August 27 after being hit by a boom. At least one wrongful-death lawsuit was filed. A temporary single-track span was erected on August 28, and traffic over the bridge resumed shortly thereafter.
An inquest into the wreck was scheduled for August 30. The inquest determined that flooding caused by the hurricane had undermined the bridge's piers. There was concern that dredging of the river's bottom, which had been going on since the bridge was completed, may have cause the velocity of the river to speed up and helped undermine the bridge's foundation. But experts from the Interstate Commerce Commission ruled this out in November 1933.
Amtrak Railroad Anacostia Bridge