Skip to main content

Canada: dump truck slams into bridge, partially demolishing it

In Canada, the driver of a dump truck that slammed into a pedestrian bridge, partially collapsing it on to road below, may have to pay for his mistake. Highway 132 in a suburb of Montreal was closed overnight while a demolition crew hastily tore down the remaining section of walkway over the road. Police are questioning the driver of the snow-removal dump truck who reportedly was travelling down the highway with his dumper raised, hitting the bridge which was built in 1979 and had recently undergone a US$
February 12, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

In Canada, the driver of a dump truck that slammed into a pedestrian bridge, partially collapsing it on to road below, may have to pay for his mistake.

Highway 132 in a suburb of Montreal was closed overnight while a demolition crew hastily tore down the remaining section of walkway over the road.

Police are questioning the driver of the snow-removal dump truck who reportedly was travelling down the highway with his dumper raised, hitting the bridge which was built in 1979 and had recently undergone a US$2.5 million renovation.

The provincial transport minister said he will be asking questions about who pays for the damages, saying in an interview there was nothing structurally wrong with the bridge and it was not meant to withstand vehicles slamming into it.

No one was seriously injured in the incident but the truck driver and the driver of a passing car that couldn’t avoid the rubble were taken to hospital and treated for shock, according to a report by the %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Visit longueuil pedestrian overpass who will foot the bill to replace it Page false http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/longueuil-pedestrian-overpass-who-will-foot-the-bill-to-replace-it-1.2952967 false false%>.

But the Montreal incident comes only two weeks after a similar but fatal accident in another part of the province of Quebec.

He said a similar accident involving a raised payload occurred a few weeks ago at an overpass in the Gatineau area, near the Canadian capital Ottawa. The truck driver wasn't wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. The bridge remained open but the roads were briefly closed following the incident.

Related Content

  • Michelin launches ADT tyre at INTERMAT
    April 13, 2012
    Following the success of its XADN tyre for articulated dump trucks, Michelin has further enhanced the tyre’s construction to include better sidewall protection against damage from rocks and foreign objects. Called the XADN+, the new version is also claimed to offer improved tyre life – typically 8-10% over the XADN version said the French maker – while simultaneously reducing rolling resistance as a result of removing 14kg of dead weight from the tyre. The 29.5 R25 tyre’s tread depth and pattern remain unch
  • New Putzmeister truck pumps at Intermat
    January 6, 2017
    Putzmeister’s best selling truck-mounted pump, the 42-5, has been redesigned to improve its operation, maintenance and integration on eight-wheeled truck chassis, to ensure its falls well below the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight of 32 tonnes for the 42m pump.
  • New Putzmeister truck pumps at Intermat
    February 21, 2012
    Putzmeister’s best selling truck-mounted pump, the 42-5, has been redesigned to improve its operation, maintenance and integration on eight-wheeled truck chassis, to ensure its falls well below the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight of 32 tonnes for the 42m pump.
  • BI Conseil shows INTERMAT 2012 how Swiss watches can save lives
    January 6, 2017
    BI Conseil is aiming for Swiss watches to become as standard as hard hats in preventing injury on site.