When Your Dump Truck’s Bed Is Up But Your Brain Isn’t

I’m not a truck driver,but I’d like to think that if I were behind the wheel of a dump truck, I’d notice if the bed was raised before heading out onto the road. However, in Florida late last week, a dump truck driver seemed blissfully unaware that the bed was up until he slammed into the Interstate 10 overpass.

A 54-year-old man was behind the wheel of the truck. Not only did he fail to notice the bed was raised, but his passenger apparently missed it too. They collided with the underside of the Interstate 10 overpass at State Road 285 around 2:20 a.m.

Read: Going Slow Under 11 Foot 8 Bridge Definitely Won’t Save Your Camper Trailer

There’s no word on how fast the truck was traveling at the time, but there’s a 55 mph speed limit on the road where the crash occurred. The Florida Highway Patrol says the bed hit the overpass with such force that it was ripped off the truck’s frame. Whether or not the truck can be repaired remains to be seen, but even if it can, it certainly won’t be cheap.

Neither the driver of the truck, nor his passenger, were injured in the crash. Fortunately, no other motorists were involved in the embarrassing incident, which could have easily led to a pile-up had it occurred during busier hours.

The aftermath caused some disruption, with police closing the impacted stretch of highway while the truck’s bed was removed, as reported by Fox 10 TV.

Crashes like these happen all too often, not just in the US, but around the world. Perhaps the most infamous of all overpasses in the country is the ‘11foot8+8’ bridge in North Carolina. Over the years, hundreds of vehicles have hit the bridge in Durham, despite local authorities raising the original height from 11 feet and 8 inches to 12 feet and 4 inches.