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

Jerry said:
But we do not know if it was his fault. We know that final responsibility falls to the company, not necessarily the driver.


I think there's no good reason to assume the truck operator did anything wrong yet. My money is on the pilot car dropping the ball.


...implying you have the power to stop a court should you so desire....
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My power in that area is extremely limited.
 
Jerry said:
How can an operator find the clearance of every bridge along a rout before actually encountering that bridge? Is there any kind of national bridge registery that could be plugged into, say, google maps?
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A Rand McNally Motor Carriers Road Atlas list every low bridge in the country.

The internet is another source,

Low Clearances

Not to mention that those bridges have a big yeller sign, with the height clearly marked.

If there was a high-pole vehicle running ahead of the truck, then there's no excuse for hitting the bridge.
 
Here's the load. The tips of the smoke stacks are probably 12'-12' 6" tall, so that would make the load 16-17 feet tall. He would have definitely had a high-pole on the escort vehicle.

wife-of-truck-driver-in-bridge-collapse-says-husband-has-impeccable-record-1.1294890


His permit routed him across the bridge, unless he was off route. Providing he was on his assigned route, the state shouldn't have routed him that way, but the state will NEVER take responsibility for that.

I'm not saying it's right, but the driver and the trucking outfit are taking the fall for this.
 
Oftencold said:
Um, no.

Because we lavish absurd amounts of the funds which the Government confiscates from the Productive Strata upon the parasitic classes, their is less available for public infrastructure. No, I assure you more money for Head Start, Food Stamps, Obama care or other boondoggles will not repair any highways nor bridges.
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Not to mention the money that has be wasted on Solydra and other green energy projects that went belly up and the wind energy subsidies.
 
Jerry said:
But we do not know if it was his fault. We know that final responsibility falls to the company, not necessarily the driver.


I think there's no good reason to assume the truck operator did anything wrong yet. My money is on the pilot car dropping the ball.


...implying you have the power to stop a court should you so desire....
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Yes, the driver, too.
 
apdst said:
Not to mention the money that has be wasted on Solydra and other green energy projects that went belly up and the wind energy subsidies.
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And then we have the little matter of the 3 to 6 trillion (By 2053.) U.S. dollars thrown away in Iraq.

The only country that gained anything from the Iraq war is Iran, and they definitely appreciate the help.

The USA gained nothing in Iraq. Zilch, zip, nada.

Halliburton and some other outfits did pretty good.



"If you don't know where you are going. any road will get you there." ~ Lewis Carroll
 
windowdressing said:
O.K., but still, shouldn't it take more than that unless the bridge needed fixing to begin with?
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My knowledge of physics tells me otherwise.

The bridge was perfectly fine carrying the weight. Just not having probably 50+ Tons of a steel box hit a supporting beam. That same bridge if commissioned the day before would likely fail with the same damage to that support.
 
Lord of Planar said:
My knowledge of physics tells me otherwise.

The bridge was perfectly fine carrying the weight. Just not having probably 50+ Tons of a steel box hit a supporting beam. That same bridge if commissioned the day before would likely fail with the same damage to that support.
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if you're right (that damage to one beam is enough to bring down the bridge), I hope that the bridge built in its place is sturdier than that ... still, I have a feeling someone is looking for a scapegoat ... we'll see ...
 
windowdressing said:
if you're right (that damage to one beam is enough to bring down the bridge), I hope that the bridge built in its place is sturdier than that ... still, I have a feeling someone is looking for a scapegoat ... we'll see ...
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My understanding is they are building a replacement section that they can drop in. Probably use a barge/crane setup if the water is deep enough. To actually replace the bridge would would be a major undertaking, rerouting traffic for how long?

Anyway, any replacement bridge would meet the updated federal standards.
 
Google Maps
Google Maps
I guess the truck struck the box of the bridge?
It is unlikely the weight of the truck was the issue as this was the I-5 bridge, and interstates are designed to carry military vehicles, aprox 70 tons. max.
In looking at the Google maps street view, the bridge did not have a clearance sign.
 
longview said:
Google Maps
Google Maps
I guess the truck struck the box of the bridge?
It is unlikely the weight of the truck was the issue as this was the I-5 bridge, and interstates are designed to carry military vehicles, aprox 70 tons. max.
In looking at the Google maps street view, the bridge did not have a clearance sign.
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That is a problem in the NE....Many bridges don't have adequate markings...But the bottom line is that the route was approved, and I know from my nearly 25 years in the trucking industry, some of it in oversized, and dimensional loads, that although the company submits the route, the issuing authority is responsible for approving that route, and providing that moving these loads across public bridges, and other roads that could pose safety hazard to public safety are responsible for coordinating police escort to ensure that the load moves safely across these areas. If there was this possibility of this happening where was the proper police escort in this area?

We will have to wait until the investigation is done to find out more. So far, the driver seems to NOT be at fault in this....
 
longview said:
Google Maps
Google Maps
I guess the truck struck the box of the bridge?
It is unlikely the weight of the truck was the issue as this was the I-5 bridge, and interstates are designed to carry military vehicles, aprox 70 tons. max.
In looking at the Google maps street view, the bridge did not have a clearance sign.
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I found that clearance signs are only required for 12' or lower. this bridges low point was something like 12' 6".

Yes, the height of the steel box, had its top corner strike one of the top curved beams. Take out one piece of the section, and the section will collapse.

Almost guaranteed by physics.
 
Lord of Planar said:
I found that clearance signs are only required for 12' or lower. this bridges low point was something like 12' 6".

Yes, the height of the steel box, had its top corner strike one of the top curved beams. Take out one piece of the section, and the section will collapse.

Almost guaranteed by physics.
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I don't think that the physics are at question here, we see the aftermath....What is at question is what led to this occurring.....
 
j-mac said:
That is a problem in the NE....Many bridges don't have adequate markings...But the bottom line is that the route was approved, and I know from my nearly 25 years in the trucking industry, some of it in oversized, and dimensional loads, that although the company submits the route, the issuing authority is responsible for approving that route, and providing that moving these loads across public bridges, and other roads that could pose safety hazard to public safety are responsible for coordinating police escort to ensure that the load moves safely across these areas. If there was this possibility of this happening where was the proper police escort in this area?

We will have to wait until the investigation is done to find out more. So far, the driver seems to NOT be at fault in this....
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Maybe that's the way it will turn out.

BUT, he was driving the truck that hit the bridge.

Seems like he has to have at least some responsibility for what happened
 
shrubnose said:
And then we have the little matter of the 3 to 6 trillion (By 2053.) U.S. dollars thrown away in Iraq.

The only country that gained anything from the Iraq war is Iran, and they definitely appreciate the help.

The USA gained nothing in Iraq. Zilch, zip, nada.

Halliburton and some other outfits did pretty good.



"If you don't know where you are going. any road will get you there." ~ Lewis Carroll
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Iraq accomplished more for the country than Solyndra did.
 
apdst said:
Iraq accomplished more for the country than Solyndra did.
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Look at my post again.

I said that Halliburton and a lot of other corporations did fine in Iraq.

For them, Iraq worked out okay.

President Eisenhower made some comments about outfits like that when he was getting ready to leave the White House.

Remember that?

I do, and I don't need to look it up.
 
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shrubnose said:
Maybe that's the way it will turn out.

BUT, he was driving the truck that hit the bridge.

Seems like he has to have at least some responsibility for what happened
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No doubt, but, it was reported that he hit the bridge because an oncoming truck had forced him further to the right than he should have been....While I agree that the prudent action would have been to stop momentarily to let the oncoming truck pass, it doesn't address why there was no police escort across the bridge, or if the dimensions were large enough authorities can, and will close the bridge to traffic until the load is clear. Where were they? Who thought they didn't need that?

Keep in mind here Shrub, I am a 25 year truck driver with over two million safe miles under my belt, and have driven oversized loads, and dimensional loads as well....I know what I am talking about.
 
j-mac said:
No doubt, but, it was reported that he hit the bridge because an oncoming truck had forced him further to the right than he should have been....While I agree that the prudent action would have been to stop momentarily to let the oncoming truck pass, it doesn't address why there was no police escort across the bridge, or if the dimensions were large enough authorities can, and will close the bridge to traffic until the load is clear. Where were they? Who thought they didn't need that?

Keep in mind here Shrub, I am a 25 year truck driver with over two million safe miles under my belt, and have driven oversized loads, and dimensional loads as well....I know what I am talking about.
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That report has to be bogus.

I read someplace he was in the right lane. Now is an oncoming truck forced him to move right, then his load was over the center divider. Now I'm no authority on this, but without flaggers stopping traffic so his load could be on the other side of the jersey barrier, seems to me that is the trucking companies/drivers negligence, if he needed his load over the barrier to clear.
 
Lord of Planar said:
That report has to be bogus.

I read someplace he was in the right lane. Now is an oncoming truck forced him to move right, then his load was over the center divider. Now I'm no authority on this, but without flaggers stopping traffic so his load could be on the other side of the jersey barrier, seems to me that is the trucking companies/drivers negligence, if he needed his load over the barrier to clear.
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Ok, in reading some more about it, including some eyewitness accounts, seems that the dimensions of over size were more in height than width....

'Functionally obsolete'
The bridge had been rated "functionally obsolete," according to a federal database, but state officials said it was safe to drive on.
That category is for bridges that may have narrow lanes or shoulders, or spans that don't provide enough vertical clearance to let tall trucks pass, according to Washington's DOT.
The bridge was inspected as recently as November, said Dave Chesson, a spokesman for the Washington Department of Transportation.
"We wouldn't be having drivers drive on this bridge if we thought there were any concerns whatsoever," he said Friday.
Sligh told KOMO he was traveling south on the interstate behind the tractor-trailer when he realized the load appeared to be about four feet too wide to fit through the bridge's superstructure.
"Any time he wants to go over to the left would be OK," Sligh said he told his wife.
But another tractor-trailer appeared to hem the truck in to the right lane.
"There was a big puff of dust, and I hit the brakes."
Dale Ogden told CNN affiliate KING that he was driving near the tractor-trailer's pilot car when he saw a device on that car designed to indicate whether a truck can clear an obstacle hit the top of the bridge.
He then watched in his rear-view mirror as the truck struck the bridge, he told KING.
"It almost tipped the truck over but it came back down. It tipped it up to about a 30-degree angle to the left and it came back down on its wheels, and almost instantaneously behind that I saw girders falling in my rear-view mirror," he said.
The tractor-trailer did not go into the water. The driver was questioned but not detained, state police said.

Truck hit caused Washington state bridge collapse, police say - CNN.com
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So there are several at fault here in this case, including the state DOT that approved the route seemingly with a rubber stamp.

1. The truck that hemmed him in the right lane was going the same direction, and did not allow right of way over a bridge to the oversized load.

2. The pilot car company did not do their job at the bridge and move to allow the oversize both lanes to safely navigate the span.

3. The company for not taking the time to consider all the possibilities before routing the load.

4. The DOT for the same, and approving the route without taking the time to find alternate routes that were safer.

5. The State, or Local Police that did not dispatch at least one officer to escort the load across, and be available to conduct traffic control if needed for the load to safely cross.

There many here at fault, and although I know that those that don't drive trucks have the kneejerk reaction to instantly blame the truck driver for anything that happens, it is not always the truck drivers fault. We have to share the roads with civilian drivers that often cause these incidents with their actions while driving, then blame those that traverse these roads for a living.
 
Northern Light said:
Wife of truck driver in bridge collapse says husband has 'impeccable' record | CTV News



I'm glad that everyone got out okay. I understand that a truck carrying steel could cause a bridge collapse, but this accident points to the issue of aging infrastructure. Our Federal and State governments are so focused on war or cutting back public services that we are now seeing the results.

Are we prepared to have more bridges collapse in the coming decade in exchange for bloated Federal projects, corporate handouts, and endless wars?
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i'd say we're not prepared for the consequences of letting our infrastructure rot. we really need to address it, and it's not like people don't need the jobs.
 
I'm with those who think it's because the bridge was **** - an F rating . . . no one else's fault but the county/principality who should have maintained it.

If you notice the girder he did hit - it's not supporting the section that collapsed. It collapsed under the weight . . because the bridge was inferior. (I agree with this explanation that I read earlier)
 
j-mac said:
So there are several at fault here in this case, including the state DOT that approved the route seemingly with a rubber stamp.

1. The truck that hemmed him in the right lane was going the same direction, and did not allow right of way over a bridge to the oversized load.
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I don't get why anyone is defecnding this. Hemmed in? Are you suggesting he had no choice to merge into the left lane, when an earlier opportunity presented itself?
j-mac said:
2. The pilot car company did not do their job at the bridge and move to allow the oversize both lanes to safely navigate the span.
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Regardless, he should have been in the left lane entering the bridge. No excuse allowed in my book...
j-mac said:
3. The company for not taking the time to consider all the possibilities before routing the load.
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Yep, someone dropped the ball...
j-mac said:
4. The DOT for the same, and approving the route without taking the time to find alternate routes that were safer.
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What do you expect from a government employee? Do you really expect competence? That still doesn't alleviate the drivers responsibility.
j-mac said:
5. The State, or Local Police that did not dispatch at least one officer to escort the load across, and be available to conduct traffic control if needed for the load to safely cross.
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Was it requested?
j-mac said:
There many here at fault, and although I know that those that don't drive trucks have the kneejerk reaction to instantly blame the truck driver for anything that happens, it is not always the truck drivers fault. We have to share the roads with civilian drivers that often cause these incidents with their actions while driving, then blame those that traverse these roads for a living.
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The bottom line, it is the drivers fault. I don't see this as a kneejerk reaction. He was driving, and nobody forced him to drive in the right lane upon approaching the bridge.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
I'm with those who think it's because the bridge was **** - an F rating . . . no one else's fault but the county/principality who should have maintained it.

If you notice the girder he did hit - it's not supporting the section that collapsed. It collapsed under the weight . . because the bridge was inferior. (I agree with this explanation that I read earlier)
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Just because a bridge is old and gets poor ratings by today's standards doesn't make the bridge itself a hazard. My suggestion would be to ban such loads in the future from traveling over the same type bridge structures.

The design is a very strong one. That is until you take out any one of the triangles. Then it fails like a house of cards.
 
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