A portion of Dufferin Street in downtown Toronto was forcibly shuttered to traffic during rush hour Friday morning after a truck driver made a very serious and costly error.
Police first reported a collision near the corner of the thoroughfare and Queen Street West just after 7 a.m., informing the public that a dump truck had hit a bridge while travelling southbound, blocking at least one lane as a result.
“Expect delays in the area and consider alternative routes,” the service wrote on X.
As visuals captured from bystanders at the scene started spreading on social media, it became apparent what a pickle the driver had gotten themselves into.
Big ol’ whoops at Queen & Dufferin
byu/Kavbastyrd intoronto
In an incident that would no doubt be worthy of any bridge crash compilation on YouTube, the 18-wheeler seems to have started going beneath the overpass carrying trains over Dufferin Street while the hydraulic rams lifting the bed of their truck were still up.
They must have immediately realized their screwup as the edge of the empty bed rammed into the bridge, completely lodging the truck.
Photos and videos from just after the incident show first responders and construction personnel attempting to deal with the mess, with the bridge and truck both very visually damaged, and debris strewn about.
Nice Shot
byu/cbuccell intoronto
Many commented marvelled at how this seems to happen all too often in the GTA, with one person writing on Reddit that “this bridge has suffered so many times, I didn’t even need to look at the title to guess which bridge it was.”
“This pisses me off,” another wrote. “They just recently re-did that whole bridge/intersection.”
Still others suggested the trucking company be sued and/or the driver have their commercial licence revoked for the very expensive accident.
A few also chimed in with suggestions for the industry, whether it be changes to licensing standards or to truck mechanisms to ensure workers can’t go past certain speeds until the bed is secured.
@newfie6666 ♬ It got no gas in it – GucciEggs4101
Public transit, passenger vehicles, cyclists and even pedestrians along the roadway have had to be diverted for quite a few hours for the clean up, with Toronto police saying that as of 1 p.m., the truck had finally been removed, but southbound closures were still in effect.
A City Engineer will still need to inspect the bridge for safety, while Toronto Hydro will assess the wire damage incurred from the collision.
One unnamed person was transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
A similar incident a decade ago caused more than $1 million in damage to the Burlington Skyway. The driver in that case faced prison time.
Credit: Source link
