On Jan. 21, a truck carrying an oversized load hit and heavily damaged the southbound U.S. 41 bridge over Pigeon Creek on Evansville's north side. This bridge, which was originally built in 1940, had only recently reopened after a year-long rehab/repaint project.
INDOT has closed the bridge "indefinitely" and says it could be a year or more before it's able to be reopened.
Southbound traffic is currently using the S.R. 66/Diamond Avenue exit, then returning to the mainline via a temporary slip ramp that was quickly reinstalled after having been removed only a few weeks ago.
https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2020/02/04/indot-u-s-41-truss-bridge-diamond-avenue-closed-indefinitely/4655676002/
I hate stories like this :banghead: I hope INDOT gets all the money from the company that caused this!
Why does Indiana come up frequently with stories about trucks taking out truss bridges? That story awhile back out of Paoli was bad enough.
Quote from: jnewkirk77 on February 07, 2020, 10:33:42 AM
https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2020/02/04/indot-u-s-41-truss-bridge-diamond-avenue-closed-indefinitely/4655676002/
Quote
A pole is attached to escort vehicles to determine whether the load can travel through tight spaces. That pole hit the frame of the bridge as the escort vehicle passed under.
The escort driver tried to alert the truck driver that its load, a large electric motor, wouldn't fit under the bridge. The two drivers didn't make contact, Ringle said.
Every safety measure, including providing the route directions, was in place to avoid such a collision, and every safety measure was ignored or didn't work.
If I were the truck drive, I'd be suing his escort driver for the cost of the penalties, loss of income, etc. Ultimately the truck driver is in charge of his own vehicle, but there is some blame to pass around here.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 07, 2020, 11:38:18 AM
Quote from: jnewkirk77 on February 07, 2020, 10:33:42 AM
https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2020/02/04/indot-u-s-41-truss-bridge-diamond-avenue-closed-indefinitely/4655676002/
Quote
A pole is attached to escort vehicles to determine whether the load can travel through tight spaces. That pole hit the frame of the bridge as the escort vehicle passed under.
The escort driver tried to alert the truck driver that its load, a large electric motor, wouldn't fit under the bridge. The two drivers didn't make contact, Ringle said.
Every safety measure, including providing the route directions, was in place to avoid such a collision, and every safety measure was ignored or didn't work.
If I were the truck drive, I'd be suing his escort driver for the cost of the penalties, loss of income, etc. Ultimately the truck driver is in charge of his own vehicle, but there is some blame to pass around here.
If I remember the story correctly, the escort driver turned off the road at the light just before the bridge, but the truck continued going straight. If the truck had just taken the exit to the right of the bridge (has another bridge with no truss), the most he would have damaged was a traffic light.
At least it wasn't the Ohio River bridge. That was my first thought upon seeing the thread.
I agree. If something happened to The Twin Bridges, Evansville would really be in trouble. The proposed Interstate 69 bridge over the Ohio River can't be built soon enough.
It must be something about Indiana.
LOGANSPORT, Ind. – The trucker who was driving when Monon SW1 No. 50 struck a bridge says a misrouting and a pilot car that failed to call him when its over height pole contacted the bridge led to the incident last week that sheared off the cab of the 1942 vintage unit that was the railroad's first diesel.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ftrn.trains.com%2F%7E%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fnews-wire%2F2018%2F12-december%2Fmonon50cabdestroyed.jpg&hash=c331536577e35e0b58e3aa1f92d68d9c0f20266b)
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/12/19-trucker-with-monon-50-on-board-says-pilot-car-took-a-wrong-turn-copy
Quote from: edwaleni on February 08, 2020, 10:36:45 AM
It must be something about Indiana.
LOGANSPORT, Ind. – The trucker who was driving when Monon SW1 No. 50 struck a bridge says a misrouting and a pilot car that failed to call him when its over height pole contacted the bridge led to the incident last week that sheared off the cab of the 1942 vintage unit that was the railroad's first diesel.
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/12/19-trucker-with-monon-50-on-board-says-pilot-car-took-a-wrong-turn-copy
"Misrouting"? What does that mean? These days most every logistics companies have tracking software that warns them of low clearance bridges, load-limited bridges and the like. I can only assume the pilot car wasn't trackable by the logistics firm as the truck surely was. Will be an interesting fight between teh pilot car company and the logistics firm as to who will pay for the damages.
Quote from: Life in Paradise on February 07, 2020, 12:33:34 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 07, 2020, 11:38:18 AM
Quote from: jnewkirk77 on February 07, 2020, 10:33:42 AM
https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2020/02/04/indot-u-s-41-truss-bridge-diamond-avenue-closed-indefinitely/4655676002/
Quote
A pole is attached to escort vehicles to determine whether the load can travel through tight spaces. That pole hit the frame of the bridge as the escort vehicle passed under.
The escort driver tried to alert the truck driver that its load, a large electric motor, wouldn't fit under the bridge. The two drivers didn't make contact, Ringle said.
Every safety measure, including providing the route directions, was in place to avoid such a collision, and every safety measure was ignored or didn't work.
If I were the truck drive, I'd be suing his escort driver for the cost of the penalties, loss of income, etc. Ultimately the truck driver is in charge of his own vehicle, but there is some blame to pass around here.
If I remember the story correctly, the escort driver turned off the road at the light just before the bridge, but the truck continued going straight. If the truck had just taken the exit to the right of the bridge (has another bridge with no truss), the most he would have damaged was a traffic light.
No, the pilot car missed the left turn onto Lynch Road and continued south on 41. When his overheight pole hit, he called the truck and got no answer. As far as what would've happened if he'd been bright enough to exit, I don't think he would've even hit the lights at Diamond. When they were replaced a few years ago, the new lights were mounted somewhat higher than the old ones.
Quote from: jnewkirk77 on February 08, 2020, 07:37:03 PM
Quote from: Life in Paradise on February 07, 2020, 12:33:34 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 07, 2020, 11:38:18 AM
Quote from: jnewkirk77 on February 07, 2020, 10:33:42 AM
https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/2020/02/04/indot-u-s-41-truss-bridge-diamond-avenue-closed-indefinitely/4655676002/
Quote
A pole is attached to escort vehicles to determine whether the load can travel through tight spaces. That pole hit the frame of the bridge as the escort vehicle passed under.
The escort driver tried to alert the truck driver that its load, a large electric motor, wouldn't fit under the bridge. The two drivers didn't make contact, Ringle said.
Every safety measure, including providing the route directions, was in place to avoid such a collision, and every safety measure was ignored or didn't work.
If I were the truck drive, I'd be suing his escort driver for the cost of the penalties, loss of income, etc. Ultimately the truck driver is in charge of his own vehicle, but there is some blame to pass around here.
If I remember the story correctly, the escort driver turned off the road at the light just before the bridge, but the truck continued going straight. If the truck had just taken the exit to the right of the bridge (has another bridge with no truss), the most he would have damaged was a traffic light.
No, the pilot car missed the left turn onto Lynch Road and continued south on 41. When his overheight pole hit, he called the truck and got no answer. As far as what would've happened if he'd been bright enough to exit, I don't think he would've even hit the lights at Diamond. When they were replaced a few years ago, the new lights were mounted somewhat higher than the old ones.
Has INDOT decided if they're going to repair the bridge, or demolish it and build a new bridge?
Just drove past the bridge this AM. The damage is severe. On the local news, the only comments have been about inspections. It appears to this untrained eye, that almost every member of the truss was bent. There will not be an easy repair. I would anticipate a replacement.
Quote from: Vista72455 on February 09, 2020, 03:01:41 PM
Just drove past the bridge this AM. The damage is severe. On the local news, the only comments have been about inspections. It appears to this untrained eye, that almost every member of the truss was bent. There will not be an easy repair. I would anticipate a replacement.
Don't count that old bridge out just yet. If there's any feasible way to repair it, that's what they'll do. KYTC had a similar issue with a bridge on KY 81 between Owensboro and Calhoun late last summer. Now, if you drive across it and didn't know it'd been hit, you wouldn't know.
Not having seen the damage to the bridge, I can't say this is an exact parallel but:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=17992.0
has some information on what might have happened here.
They just did a rehab on it too...
When all else fails, blame your GPS
As the District bridge inspection supervisor, I directed all post-collision inspection and reporting efforts following this incident. All I can say is that the damage was severe, fairly extensive, and (this being a truss bridge) also adversely affected many of the fracture-critical connections. Our team submitted both a preliminary and (few days later) in-depth damage inspection assessment report. Currently, these findings are being assessed by our bridge asset management team and both rehabilitation and replacement options are being evaluated. This was an unfortunate incident, as the bridge had been reopened about 7 months ago following a rehabilitation project. The bridge was originally built in 1940.
On a personal (non-INDOT) note: I don't see INDOT getting that much money out of either the trucking company or the pilot company, at least no where near enough to cover the costs to make this asset "whole" again without spending taxpayer money. Neither of these firms are large (I think that the trucking company is an owner/operator LLC) and likely don't carry enough insurance. In addition, they will also be facing claims by the owner of the equipment that was being shipped, as this piece of equipment that they purchased was also badly damaged. Bankruptcy Laws will likely limit the total damages that can be collected.
The truck driver received two citations: driving off the permitted route, and driving with an expired registration.
Quote from: EngineerTM on February 10, 2020, 11:41:38 AM
As the District bridge inspection supervisor, I directed all post-collision inspection and reporting efforts following this incident. All I can say is that the damage was severe, fairly extensive, and (this being a truss bridge) also adversely affected many of the fracture-critical connections.
Based on the few photos I've seen of the damage (and not being a civil engineer), I'd be quite surprised if it made financial sense to repair the bridge again. Even if it did, INDOT would need to weigh whether the risk of another oversize load hit to the structure is worth doing repair v.s. replace. A shame - it was nice to see an 80-year old structure still in service and viable.
Isn't this the bridge that has a parallel non-truss bridge?
Quote from: hbelkins on February 10, 2020, 03:10:15 PM
Isn't this the bridge that has a parallel non-truss bridge?
Actually, there are two adjoining bridges. The truss bridge carried two southbound lanes, and there is a separate adjacent bridge of more newer vintage (three span steel girder bridge with concrete deck) that carries two northbound lanes. In addition, there is another three span steel girder bridge with concrete deck next to the west side of the truss bridge that carries an exit ramp lane from southbound US 41 on to SR 66/Diamond Avenue. Fortunately, that ramp bridge is wide enough that, with some striping changes, can carry two lanes of traffic.
Currently, that bridge is being used as a detour for the closed bridge. Temporary pavement has been placed immediately south of the closed bridge to serve as a run-around for southbound traffic. It was the same MOT scheme used when the truss bridge was closed for its recent rehabilitation.
Quote from: EngineerTM on February 10, 2020, 03:24:59 PM
Currently, that bridge is being used as a detour for the closed bridge. Temporary pavement has been placed immediately south of the closed bridge to serve as a run-around for southbound traffic. It was the same MOT scheme used when the truss bridge was closed for its recent rehabilitation.
As seen in Google Street View:
(https://i.imgur.com/KsZnZzR.png)
Quote from: EngineerTM on February 10, 2020, 11:41:38 AM
As the District bridge inspection supervisor, I directed all post-collision inspection and reporting efforts following this incident. All I can say is that the damage was severe, fairly extensive, and (this being a truss bridge) also adversely affected many of the fracture-critical connections. Our team submitted both a preliminary and (few days later) in-depth damage inspection assessment report. Currently, these findings are being assessed by our bridge asset management team and both rehabilitation and replacement options are being evaluated. This was an unfortunate incident, as the bridge had been reopened about 7 months ago following a rehabilitation project. The bridge was originally built in 1940.
On a personal (non-INDOT) note: I don't see INDOT getting that much money out of either the trucking company or the pilot company, at least no where near enough to cover the costs to make this asset "whole" again without spending taxpayer money. Neither of these firms are large (I think that the trucking company is an owner/operator LLC) and likely don't carry enough insurance. In addition, they will also be facing claims by the owner of the equipment that was being shipped, as this piece of equipment that they purchased was also badly damaged. Bankruptcy Laws will likely limit the total damages that can be collected.
The truck driver received two citations: driving off the permitted route, and driving with an expired registration.
Thanks for the update. Please keep us posted if you can.
Quote from: edwaleni on February 08, 2020, 10:36:45 AM
It must be something about Indiana.
LOGANSPORT, Ind. – The trucker who was driving when Monon SW1 No. 50 struck a bridge says a misrouting and a pilot car that failed to call him when its over height pole contacted the bridge led to the incident last week that sheared off the cab of the 1942 vintage unit that was the railroad's first diesel.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ftrn.trains.com%2F%7E%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fnews-wire%2F2018%2F12-december%2Fmonon50cabdestroyed.jpg&hash=c331536577e35e0b58e3aa1f92d68d9c0f20266b)
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/12/19-trucker-with-monon-50-on-board-says-pilot-car-took-a-wrong-turn-copy
So not only did they damage the bridge, they severely damaged a historic piece of railroad equipment... Idiots The transportation company needs to be held responsible for the damage. Properly trained personnel should not let this happen.
Finally got an update: INDOT has decided to replace this bridge. To satisfy Section 106 requirements (this bridge is considered historic, but not select), INDOT has officially posted information in case there is an organization interested in taking possession of this bridge. Again, since it is historic, there are various regulations that must be met to rehabilitate and reuse this bridge in an appropriate and responsible manner.
https://www.in.gov/indot/2565.htm
I'm not surprised that the State's bridge asset management team went in this direction. It was a somewhat controversial move to do the rehabilitation in the first place. However, as I reported earlier, the damage to the bridge superstructure was very serious.
what is it going to be replaced with? something similar to the northbound side i presume?
it was sad driving past it Sunday morning and seeing all the members bent like they were.
Quote from: Georgia on December 01, 2020, 06:21:41 PM
what is it going to be replaced with? something similar to the northbound side i presume?
it was sad driving past it Sunday morning and seeing all the members bent like they were.
One would guess that they would go with a bridge like the northbound and thus no overhead beams.
Quote from: Georgia on December 01, 2020, 06:21:41 PM
what is it going to be replaced with? something similar to the northbound side i presume?
it was sad driving past it Sunday morning and seeing all the members bent like they were.
Probably what's commonly known as UCEB : Ugly Concrete Eyesore Bridge
Quote from: US71 on December 02, 2020, 02:06:16 PM
Quote from: Georgia on December 01, 2020, 06:21:41 PM
what is it going to be replaced with? something similar to the northbound side i presume?
it was sad driving past it Sunday morning and seeing all the members bent like they were.
Probably what's commonly known as UCEB : Ugly Concrete Eyesore Bridge
University of Central Evansville Basketball
Quote from: Life in Paradise on December 02, 2020, 12:38:24 PM
Quote from: Georgia on December 01, 2020, 06:21:41 PM
what is it going to be replaced with? something similar to the northbound side i presume?
it was sad driving past it Sunday morning and seeing all the members bent like they were.
One would guess that they would go with a bridge like the northbound and thus no overhead beams.
Current plans under development are for a three-span bridge with a standard concrete deck supported on prestressed concrete bulb-tee beams. The end abutments will be integral so as to eliminate any joints for improved durability. The adjoining northbound bridge is of an older vintage and uses steel plate girders. But you are correct that there will not be any overhead framing members.
I wouldn't be shocked if the span ends up in Delphi, Indiana and reassembled there.
For those unaware, the Wabash & Erie Canal Park there has been collecting old truss spans from across the state, rehabbing them and reassembling them for use.
Their recycling of a Pennsylvania Truss and putting it over the US-24 freeway was pretty darn cool.
https://wabashanderiecanal.org/wabash-erie-canal-historic-bridges-delphi-in/ (https://wabashanderiecanal.org/wabash-erie-canal-historic-bridges-delphi-in/)
Quote from: edwaleni on December 02, 2020, 11:19:43 PM
I wouldn't be shocked if the span ends up in Delphi, Indiana and reassembled there.
For those unaware, the Wabash & Erie Canal Park there has been collecting old truss spans from across the state, rehabbing them and reassembling them for use.
Their recycling of a Pennsylvania Truss and putting it over the US-24 freeway was pretty darn cool.
https://wabashanderiecanal.org/wabash-erie-canal-historic-bridges-delphi-in/ (https://wabashanderiecanal.org/wabash-erie-canal-historic-bridges-delphi-in/)
We're getting ready to give away an old pony truss bridge on a county road in Perry County that's set to be replaced under the Bridging Kentucky program. The ads and press release aren't done yet, but will be at some point in the future. If anyone has the ear of the parks board, they might want to let them know when the historic bridge relocation goes public.
Truckers are always doing irresponsible shit for the sake of their "hot loads" and it causes damage to our roads and bridges. Same thing happened in Long Grove , IL when a trucker damaged a recently repaired covered bridge all because he wanted to disobey a no trucks sign.
Quote from: Crash_It on February 07, 2021, 05:41:49 AM
Truckers are always doing irresponsible shit for the sake of their "hot loads" and it causes damage to our roads and bridges. Same thing happened in Long Grove , IL when a trucker damaged a recently repaired covered bridge all because he wanted to disobey a no trucks sign.
We'll in this case he not only took out the bridge, he may have destroyed an irreplaceable historic artifact
Quote from: GreenLanternCorps on February 07, 2021, 08:31:41 PM
Quote from: Crash_It on February 07, 2021, 05:41:49 AM
Truckers are always doing irresponsible shit for the sake of their "hot loads" and it causes damage to our roads and bridges. Same thing happened in Long Grove , IL when a trucker damaged a recently repaired covered bridge all because he wanted to disobey a no trucks sign.
We'll in this case he not only took out the bridge, he may have destroyed an irreplaceable historic artifact
The insurance will pay for it /sarc
They crash into them on purpose often in attempt to deliberately get rid of The Truss Bridges.
Perhaps The Truss Bridges can be relocated.
Looks like they're getting ready to start this replacement project. As part of the project, INDOT is also going to completely reconstruct the pavement from Morgan Ave/SR 62 to Lynch Rd. They will bring in a bunch of dirt to raise the level of the southbound lanes to match those of the northbound lanes before dismantling and completely replacing the southbound bridge. Work is scheduled to begin Thursday according to the article.
https://www.14news.com/2021/06/07/indot-closing-nb-lane-41-between-morgan-lynch/ (https://www.14news.com/2021/06/07/indot-closing-nb-lane-41-between-morgan-lynch/)
https://www.14news.com/2021/06/20/work-expected-start-us-41-evansville-this-week/ (https://www.14news.com/2021/06/20/work-expected-start-us-41-evansville-this-week/)
Quote from: In_Correct on June 05, 2021, 02:18:20 AM
They crash into them on purpose often in attempt to deliberately get rid of The Truss Bridges.
Perhaps The Truss Bridges can be relocated.
The thought that a truck driver would intentionally cause tens of thousands of dollars of property damage to their employer's truck, almost certainly be fired, and possibly lose their CDL and be forced to find an entirely new career, just to deliberately force the replacement of a bridge they don't like, is utterly ludicrous.
Quote from: evvroads on June 22, 2021, 05:28:14 PM
Looks like they're getting ready to start this replacement project. As part of the project, INDOT is also going to completely reconstruct the pavement from Morgan Ave/SR 62 to Lynch Rd. They will bring in a bunch of dirt to raise the level of the southbound lanes to match those of the northbound lanes before dismantling and completely replacing the southbound bridge. Work is scheduled to begin Thursday according to the article.
https://www.14news.com/2021/06/07/indot-closing-nb-lane-41-between-morgan-lynch/ (https://www.14news.com/2021/06/07/indot-closing-nb-lane-41-between-morgan-lynch/)
https://www.14news.com/2021/06/20/work-expected-start-us-41-evansville-this-week/ (https://www.14news.com/2021/06/20/work-expected-start-us-41-evansville-this-week/)
Would have been nice for them to have used this opportunity to widen the road to three lanes from Lynch Road to Morgan, at least for the northbound traffic. That has been a pinch for merging north bound traffic at times. At one point a few decades ago, making US41 six lanes through Evansville (beyond what already is) was in the plan, and then I-164 (what is now I-69) developed as the future through route.
https://goo.gl/maps/dt3dCFiEJk2XRDxW8
See GSV shows the bridge on the latest update being worked on.
Edit that was the 2019 rehab that is seen. However the bridge must look the same.
Quote from: roadman65 on June 23, 2021, 01:12:14 PM
https://goo.gl/maps/dt3dCFiEJk2XRDxW8
See GSV shows the bridge on the latest update being worked on.
Edit that was the 2019 rehab that is seen. However the bridge must look the same.
The bridge looks the same in the sense that the truss bridge is still there. The covering was removed after it was painted in 2019. In the collision, every single overhead cross beam was very visibly bent to the south. Over a foot (maybe two or more) in some cases. That caused many/all of the attached vertical support members to bow inward and fracture. It's 100% beyond saving and not going to be repaired.
(https://i.imgur.com/GLv1dt7.jpg)
Looking south from the bridge.
(https://i.imgur.com/DJNs5pR.jpg)
I did my best to take this picture looking nearly straight up. I was a foot or two to the right of the vertical support, so not directly beneath the cross beam.
(https://i.imgur.com/k5kwFQ2.jpg)
Looking north/northwest from the bridge. Here you can see the fracture in the vertical support. You can somewhat see the next three supports to the north are damaged in the same area.
From what I heard the vehicle watchdog in the front alerted the driver of the semi to use another route, but the driver ignored him. Now a freshly renovated bridge is ruined and tax dollars that could be spent elsewhere have to be used to remove and build another replacement.
I meet these truck drivers everyday at work and many drive the roads for a living and no nothing about them. Many lack common sense when they come to a toll booth and complain "I didn't expect to be on a toll road" or " Why so much for the toll?" Then one ignored a truck route sign in Auburndale, FL and drove the narrow route with tight curves and turns with his big semi.
Now DC has another driver who destroyed a pedestrian overpass. These semi drivers need to get with it.
Quote from: roadman65 on June 23, 2021, 10:26:47 PM
From what I heard the vehicle watchdog in the front alerted the driver of the semi to use another route, but the driver ignored him. Now a freshly renovated bridge is ruined and tax dollars that could be spent elsewhere have to be used to remove and build another replacement.
Tax dollars? Won't there be a claim against the trucker's insurance?
Quote from: hbelkins on June 24, 2021, 12:42:23 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on June 23, 2021, 10:26:47 PM
From what I heard the vehicle watchdog in the front alerted the driver of the semi to use another route, but the driver ignored him. Now a freshly renovated bridge is ruined and tax dollars that could be spent elsewhere have to be used to remove and build another replacement.
Tax dollars? Won't there be a claim against the trucker's insurance?
Yes, there would be a claim against the trucking company with their insurance company paying, but based upon my experience the insurance policy would be insufficient in paying for the full cost of the bridge removal and replacement.
Quote from: Life in Paradise on June 24, 2021, 12:58:33 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on June 24, 2021, 12:42:23 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on June 23, 2021, 10:26:47 PM
From what I heard the vehicle watchdog in the front alerted the driver of the semi to use another route, but the driver ignored him. Now a freshly renovated bridge is ruined and tax dollars that could be spent elsewhere have to be used to remove and build another replacement.
Tax dollars? Won't there be a claim against the trucker's insurance?
Yes, there would be a claim against the trucking company with their insurance company paying, but based upon my experience the insurance policy would be insufficient in paying for the full cost of the bridge removal and replacement.
And the state could sue the company or the driver for the rest...but if they win, what trucking company or driver has a few million in assets sitting around to pay for a new bridge?
Quote from: Scott5114 on June 25, 2021, 01:51:36 AM
Quote from: Life in Paradise on June 24, 2021, 12:58:33 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on June 24, 2021, 12:42:23 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on June 23, 2021, 10:26:47 PM
From what I heard the vehicle watchdog in the front alerted the driver of the semi to use another route, but the driver ignored him. Now a freshly renovated bridge is ruined and tax dollars that could be spent elsewhere have to be used to remove and build another replacement.
Tax dollars? Won't there be a claim against the trucker's insurance?
Yes, there would be a claim against the trucking company with their insurance company paying, but based upon my experience the insurance policy would be insufficient in paying for the full cost of the bridge removal and replacement.
And the state could sue the company or the driver for the rest...but if they win, what trucking company or driver has a few million in assets sitting around to pay for a new bridge?
After the lawyers get their payout, there won't be much left for a new bridge.
As for the lawsuit and compensation, it will be split apart across the various insurance entities, usually on levels of responsibility
- The drivers CDL insurance (if they have any, most rely on the trucking firm to carry a policy.)
- The trucking firms insurance (their truck was the one that drove through)
- The guide service insurance (doesn't matter that they called it out and the driver ignored it)
- The cargo's insurance (since it struck the bridge and they engaged the shipper to handle it))
- The shippers insurance (since they booked this trucking firm to ship it)
Most drivers worth their salt actually have measuring sticks to check their "real" height regardless of what a guide driver says.
Most guide services review the route with the driver before they leave, and they confirm the height to make sure the route is valid.
Now I am not picking on truck drivers or trucking firms, but there has been an acute shortage of truck drivers for several years.
The ones that do get their CDL are sometimes english challenged. Illinois had the one bribery problem with the DMV but it is not clear how widespread that is.
Recent accidents of trucks, especially in bad weather, have shown that the drivers were marginal in skill or barely understood many of the safety regs around the use of their rigs.
The story of a truck driver who attempted to drive his rig across a pony truss from 1902 becuase he thought it was a shortcut was a good example.
Work has begun to remove the bridge.
https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/local-news/crews-begin-demolition-of-pigeon-creek-bridge/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&fbclid=IwAR2YhRiKNMh3SoHTdXehQfSeGXAHUPzB0ANimBq5gx6FabepEwhHgVk6Trg