Wife of truck driver in bridge collapse says husband has 'impeccable' record

FreedomFromAll said:

You would think that the big sign would be enough. The sign has flashing lights that come on when a vehicle is too tall to pass under the train trestle. So a big as sign that literally tells the driver that they are too tall and idiots still hit the dam thing.

The guy that hit the bridge with his over sized load should have known his route prior to driving it and should have known that he would hit the bridge. It is clearly his fault period.

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The reason it is his fault is because he failed to stop, before making contact with the bridge and going slow enough to determine height issues safely, also because he was PIC. However that said the is accident is the result of a series of errors both on the driver, the state and the pilot cars. No one is totally to blame, or totally at fault. That bridge was coming down it was only a matter of time. I looked at the load being carried and I can tell you right now that the strike on the bridge was not a major strike. That bridge was going to comedown soon. The state got lucky in that they got a fall guy's insurance to pay for a bridge. Permit loads with height issues are required by statute to have a pilot car escort with height pole running in front of the over height load. Their primary job is to prevent strikes of this kind. They obviously didn't. Their insurance will be kicking in, you can count on that. Considering how wide the oversize load was he probably had a second escort which would have been in the rear to help control traffic flow. My understanding of the incident includes the fact the there was a problem with being pinned by traffic in the right lane when he should have been left. The rear escorts job is to help clear that traffic and allow the unit to maneuver.

As far as knowing the route ahead of time, that is only if a route survey is required. Pilot cars usually are hired local, for two reasons a) they know the territory and routes well. b) their knowledge is current.

FreedomFromAll said:

And I agree that inadequate road ways should be fixed. A truck hitting a girder (over sized or not) should not end with a collapsed bridge. But there isnt anything wrong with roadways that dont allow heavy duty vehicle traffic. Every truck that hit the train trestle shows the incompetence of the driver. ANd it is the same type of incompetence that caused that bridge to collapse. So in lieu of spending millions of tax payers dollars perhaps enforcement of traffic laws could at the very least help. There isnt anything wrong with making people follow existing traffic laws that were designed to avoid such things. Driver should be responsible for their actions. We cant really make the equivalent of a corner less world for drivers.

Of course the bridge that collapsed should have been retro fitted to prevent such a thing from happening. Just as the train trestle in that video was retro fitted with a beam to protect the bridge was. At the very least the I-5 bridge should have had signage indicating something.

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Roads, highways, freeways, bridges etc are designed to handle vehicles and trucks as they have a height limit, unless there is a permit issued and an approved route. To have a bridge that is not in complience with the standard for roads, highways, freeways, bridges etc should be banned from use. In this case the road should be closed until the bridge is raised or the ground is dug out to give the bridge the proper height clearance. This bridge is a accident waiting to happen and the proof is in the video. IMO it's criminal to allow travel under this bridge as it exist, especially knowing all the accidents, damage and cost it has caused.