Who didn't check the route ?

[TQBoater]

I guess they thought it would fit, must have been going some speed for it to do so much damage

Pictures

[Andy Moore]

A set up of some description, if you ask me.

[codprawn]

I saw a very similar accident to that a few years ago - but the British road bridge was barely damaged - scary how much damage it caused and how weak the bridge is - unless it's a fake???

[Nos4r2]

It's not a fake and it's not a setup. The driver didn't put the arm down properly before moving it-and that machine probably weighs 40 tonnes. Add that to 20 tonnes of truck and low loader.
Put that force through the contact area between the arm and the bridge at 70mph (it's American-no speed limiters on the trucks) and that's what happens.

The damage above the cab of the machine will be where it pivoted upwards and the whole arm and a large chunk of the machine hit the bridge as well.

[Cookee]

That is the second set of photos I've seen of the same incident - it is not an "I beam" type bridge but a cellular one - made a bit like a fibreglass panel with balsa or foam core - or so I'm told - that's why it ripped so easily!

[jyasaki]

In the US, they use "pre-stressed concrete" for overpasses and such: Threaded rods and rebar are laid out, concrete poured over, then bolt are used to compress the cured concrete. Allows for sort of modular construction.

Interesting thing about the photos is that the upper portion of the overpass is intact on both sides, yet the "arm" extends through. Not sure how that could happen.

jky

[Cookee]

I'm guessing that it only just caught the lowest portion of the bridge, and then punched up through the bridge?