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

  • CIFA’s ambitions fuelled by R&D gains
    April 18, 2013
    CIFA managing director Davide Cipolla said the Zoomlion-owned firm has “not reached the limit” of what it can offer customers, thanks to a significant investment in research and development. Cipolla, who is also research and development director of the Zoomlion Group's concrete division, commented on a €2million-a-year R&D investment for CIFA and some Zoomlion products over the last five years saying, “This is the first stage of [product] development.” At bauma 2013, CIFA is introducing an innovative hybrid
  • XCMG in acquisition mode
    January 6, 2017
    XCMG is believed to be in advanced negotiations over the purchase of major concrete machinery manufacturer Schwing as part of its ambitious plans to break into the top three companies for construction machine sales by 2015. One company source said the acquisition of Germany-based Schwing would be a “big thing” for the global construction machinery industry. “We feel they can contribute to our competitiveness in the concrete machinery sector. Our lower manufacturing costs and their high level technology make
  • XCMG in acquisition mode
    April 17, 2012
    XCMG is believed to be in advanced negotiations over the purchase of major concrete machinery manufacturer Schwing as part of its ambitious plans to break into the top three companies for construction machine sales by 2015. One company source said the acquisition of Germany-based Schwing would be a “big thing” for the global construction machinery industry. “We feel they can contribute to our competitiveness in the concrete machinery sector. Our lower manufacturing costs and their high level technology make
  • European Day Without A Road Death: ‘Everyone’s vulnerable’
    September 25, 2019
    This year’s European Day Without A Road Death (Project EDWARD) takes place today, emphasising a theme of vulnerability. It is organised by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL), which offers a somewhat pessimistic view of the state of play. “We have spent time reflecting on recent results which paint a very mixed picture of progress in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Europe’s roads,” TISPOL says in a statement. “For the first few years of this decade, countries across the EU have been highly