Casper Police: Delivery Truck Suffered ‘Catastrophic Damage’ After Driving Under McKinley Bridge
Pictures are worth a thousand words, but the Casper Police Department offered a few more in an update to the delivery truck attempting to drive under the notorious McKinley Bridge last week.
On October 11, a delivery truck traveling north on McKinley Street attempted to drive under the 11-foot bridge. It didn't work.
"Essentially, the driver of a rental truck attempted to drive a 13 foot truck under a bridge with only 11 feet of clearance," Lieutenant Jeff Bullard with the Casper Police Department told K2 Radio News. "The crash did catastrophic damage to the vehicle, and likely did damage the bridge. However, this bridge has been hit multiple times and assessing the true extent of the damages would be impossible."
The McKinley Bridge has claimed numerous victims over the years. It is clearly marked as having a height clearance of 11 feet, yet it has still resulted in multiple trucks losing the tops of their trailers.
Such was the case on October 11.
Ty Martin, a bystander who just happened to be in the area at the time of the collision, say that he "was under the bridge going south when it happened. It was loud and scary as hell. I thought the bridge was coming down on top of me."
Once he realized what had happened, Martin said that he got out of his car and checked on the drivers of the semi.
"They were okay," Martin said. "No injuries; they just looked really shocked. The young man driving looked like he just lost his job."
Read More: PHOTOS: Another Delivery Truck Loses Its Top Under McKinley Bridge
K2 Radio News was unable to verify for which company the delivery truck worked.
Lieutenant Bullard wanted to remind drivers that if they are operating a rental vehicle, they are aware of any limitations that vehicle might have.
"Specifically," Lieutenant Bullard said, "if they are renting a truck to move across town, they should be aware of any height limitations and watch for signs posted at bridges or underpasses to ensure they will fit within those height requirements."
McKinley Bridge has claimed numerous victims over the years and, in doing so, its undergone an immense amount of damage. Damage to both the bridge and to these trucks can be averted as long as drivers are paying attention, reading the signs, and staying safe.
"It is my understanding that no one was injured during this crash," Lieutenant Bullard stated. "[Drivers should] ALWAYS wear their seatbelts, you never know who you’re sharing the road with."