A fatal accident caused when a truck hit a support beam on a bridge may have been at least partially due to incorrectly posted clearance heights.
A truck hauling an oversized load was traveling on I-35 in Salado, Texas when it passed under a bridge which was under construction. The truck had been cleared for the route, but clearance signs near the bridge varied from 14 feet and ½ inch; to 13 feet 6 inches; to 14 feet 3 inches.
When the truck struck one of the bridge supports, it caused multiple beams to fall onto the roadway below, crushing a pickup truck in the opposite lane and killing its driver. Two other vehicles were also hit by falling debris, but the drivers sustained only minor injuries.
“You could see two bridge beams laying on top of two trucks, and one of the trucks was on fire,” said Shane Berrier, a volunteer fire chief. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
According to Berrier, by the time he got there two construction workers had pulled one of the truckers out of his truck before the flames could reach him. The local CBS affiliate reported that three people were transported to the hospital.
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So the story about the company having permits was correct. Wonder how TXDOT will try to spin this to not be at fault.
You know they won’t spin anything. All they will do is say nothing in hopes it will go away.
99% of the states have on their permit that it is the responsibility for the escort (if needed) and or the trucker to examine the route prior to running it. Few do it tho. And again if the on site state engineer doesn’t do his or her job of reporting changes in bridge height or routing and lane closures it falls on them too. A good example of failure is your GPS taking you down a road that is closed or not for trucks now.
Well apparently if there are 3 signs with 3 different heights posted at the same time, somebody’s not doing their job.
Well I think the Hwy Patrol officer who was on the news needs to say he made a mistake as if u look at the news footage it showed bridge height was over 14 ft high and it’s required to be Atleast 13’6″
So who figures , blame it on the Truck Driver or Trucking Company
When it’s Really the states Fault .
But remember if it wasn’t for Trucks you wouldn’t be wearing those clothes or eating the food you eat ing or as a matter of fact — Without Trucks There Would Be only Horses N Buggies to Bring You what You Need
Well, there’s clearly only one thing for TXDOT to do now – under report all their bridge heights, just like NY state does.
Those of you who drive in New York know that most of the bridges are marked incorrectly,usually a foot lower than marked.I e-mailed the DOT commissioner once and was told that they were marked that way because of frost heave and repaving,which means you shouldn’t go under them,but most do because the bridges are higher than posted and the alternative would take drivers tens of miles out of their way. Then there’s the Town of Tonawanda, a suburb of Buffalo that will give a trucker a ticket for going under a bridge that is marked something like 12’8″,but the trailer is marked higher.The trailer clears it easily,but it’s a revenue source and nothing more.
In NYC, bridge heights are measured from the curb to the gussets. Many say 12’6″ which is accurate. It’s pretty ridiculous that they assume all trucks drive down the sidewalk. It would be much easier if they just measured from the road bed.
It happened in downtown Chicago too the bridge was 13′, 9″, and swiped off the trailer that was 13′, 6″.
This is one of my biggest fears. Construction Company’s get too careless on what they are doing, don’t care about trucks traveling. They can get sloppy in preparing alternate routes, pavement is too bumpy pitching the trailer from left to right. Low bridges that are not posted properly or can’t be easily seen. Workers with long handle equipment that hangs over into the traveling lane. Or workers that sits on the concrete barriers and they may fall into the traveling lane.
There is NO REASON any bridge should be below 14′ in this day and age. It doesn’t take much to dig a road lower by a foot or two so that all vehicles can go under a bridge. It is a foregone conclusion that at some time a truck will accidentally meander down the wrong street and hit a bridge that a municipality has neglected to upgrade. That is why such low bridges should be outlawed and municipalities found 100% at fault for failing to make the road safe for all legal vehicles.
ah yes…. no reason, eh? You know, NYC? Or Long Island? People going there should watch where they are going. The older cities are always difficult to ‘upgrade’, especially with the types of roadways out there. However, you need to understand that truck drivers need to be positive of their routing before they step a single toe behind the wheel. Then…. If a clearance looks like trouble you put on your flashers and slow down. My antennas tell me when I’ve found a low clearance too low for me.
Let me point out a great example of a road that drivers hit for years. Crill Ave underpass in Palatka FL. It specifically says no tucks over this height or length on the underpass. It says so a mile in advance. There’s all kinds of detours and the truck refuses to go around a block to avoid the underpass. And bang, his truck is destroyed, or his trailer is destroyed.
Let’s get to another one I love, the bridge in NYC that has warnings starting 10 miles away about the bridge and trucks still hit it despite the warnings. Not every truck hits the bridge, just the idiots that don’t pay attention or those that think they’ll squeak by.
Or this bridge: http://11foot8.com/
Coming out of Houston TDot routed a group of wind towers under a new bridge. Construction crews had placed new beams that night. At 15′ 11″ first pole car hit and we were all stuck in cattle shute barriers for a few hours. So it can happen.
But pole car not required for 14′ 7″, still would you try to go under a marked 14″ bridge ? Did he measure his load ?
Lots of questions, lots of conflicting info.
THIS HOLD HARMLESS CLAUSE IS PRINTED ON EVERY OVERSIZE PERMIT ISSUED FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS…
The permittee shall assume all responsibility for any damages to road surface, traffic control
devices, bridges, above ground utilities,or other structures and all liability in case of injury to
person or property, public or private that may result from such movement. Liability and property damage insurance in sufficient amounts to cover any and all claims that may arise shall be carried by the permittee, and under the coverage, the State of Texas shall be saved harmless from any such claim.
I understand that. However, just because state prints it on paper, doesn’t make it legally binding where liability is concerned.
Example; “Not responsible for windshield damage” on the back of a dump truck doesn’t relieve the responsibility of unsecured cargo. Texas nor the construction company are relieved of responsibility, just because the permit says so.
EXACTLY! My wife used to be a licensed insurance producer and she always told me of all the scams ins companies pull like that. The best ones are supermarket and stores that say their not responsible if your car gets damaged in their lot….WRONG!
Kind of along the lines of the old South Water Market. Somebody told me they would go there a lot in the 70’s. Only problem was prior to time period it was remodeled in the late 40’s i think they said. Truck/trailer designs of the late 40’s vs the 70’s . You do the math. He told me unless you had a cabover,you’d play hell backing in. He said off duty Chicago P D officers worked there just to help drivers back in to the dock
Funny, that CR England truck doesn’t look over sized.
In fact it looks like all the fright broke through the trailer and smashed through the sleeper.