You’d think that drivers of high vehicles would heed the warning signs — or at least slow down, and see if they could possibly s-q-u-e-e-z-e underneath Westport’s two low railroad bridges.
But with stunning regularity, those bridges — on Compo Road South and Saugatuck Avenue — get struck.
Today it was the Compo Road overpass.
Susie Kowalsky — who took these photos — says, “I think they need a bigger sign.”
I think we need better drivers.
(Photos/Susie Kowalsky)
So glad no one was hurt…
A rental truck. Chances are it was not a professional driver, but one of us who don’t know what we are doing.
Penske is a rental. They need to make sure the renter of the vehicle knows the height or better still have a great big sticker on the dash giving the height and weight details of the vehicle
Assume it was someone moving in. As people moving out should realize how many trucks do this already!
Typically those trucks have a sticker, printed in reverse, saying what the truck height is –‘ –“, so the driver can read it in the mirrors. That’s gonna be a costly rental as that won’t exactly “buff out.”
Maybe these signs need to have a picture of a can opener along with larger sign that shows the max height to warn these occasional truck drivers and professional truck drivers alike. I’m also amazed at how often some larger trucks don’t pay attention and still enter the Merritt Park way.
Shear ignorance! I like the can opener icon suggestion!
It peeled that truck lid like a sardine can. (The back of the truck was mostly empty today, so luckily it was just truck detritus that needed to be cleaned.) For every truck this happens to, there’s usually 2-3 a month that only get a foot into the bridge but can back out, and scores that approach it only to turn around on either side. There needs to be those hanging warning pipes that they run into, 50 feet before they hit the bridge. Clearly nobody sees or believes the signs.
man that is a costly mistake.
Dan,
I was actually at the entrance of the bridge, walking, when that rental truck came bursting under the bridge, a piece of metal flew off, aimed straight for my head at high speed and missed my head by seconds, only because I instinctively dived down. I was in shock for the rest of the day. So terrifying. I would seriously question ever walking under that bridge ever again. I was incredibly lucky.