Urban Legend of Cry Baby Bridge

Cry Baby Bridge

The legend I collected was told to me by one of my softball teammates. My teammate is twenty-two years old. She told me this story on our team bus while we were driving at about noon. The atmosphere was light as a few of my other teammates were listening to, and quoting Dane Cook – a popular comedian. Here is the legend she told:

There is this small bridge in a small city nearby. There was a car accident and a small child or baby died. And, um, it was in the local papers. It is said that at night, when your drive over it, you can hear the sound of a baby crying. And you know how signs on the side of the road reflect light and stuff? Well, you can’t see it with normal lighting, but when a car’s lights hit the sign at the right angle, you can see a baby’s footprints.

My teammate originally heard this story from her classmates during her junior year in high school. My teammate had no problems remembering the story; she was more worried that I would think she thought it was true. There were pauses in her story telling as I wrote down what she said. She related the story with little emotion or suspense. The laughter in the background also affected the impact of the legend because it is difficult to be scared when there is laughter all around. My teammate also did not make a significant effort to enhance the effect of the story through hand motions or vocal tone inflections.

Throughout the United States there are other legends and stories similar to the one my teammate told. A similar legend was told to me by my friend from high school. She is nineteen years old. She originally told me the story our sophomore year. I asked her to re-tell it to me a few weeks ago over the phone. There was not much emotion in her voice. Also, there were not many pauses as she had to tell me quickly because she had a class.

In Aurora, Colorado, there is a legend about the Third Bridge. The Third Bridge can be found on Quincy Road heading east out of town. The bridge is next to a power plant in an otherwise, dusty, and deserted area of land. The legend states that a van of young children crashed and everyone was killed.