DETROIT – A truck driver attempted to take his rig below an overpass too low for his trailer on I-94 at Wabash on Detroit's west side Tuesday.
His mistake destroyed the truck and could have caused structural damage to two overpasses.
UPDATE: The overpasses, which are railroad trestles, are operated by Conrail. The train company said their crews checked the overpasses after the strike and found no new damage.
The two railroad trestles were clearly marked with 12-foot, 7-inch clearance, but the driver went under the first bridge and had the top of his trailer ripped off like a sardine can.
The driver managed to get the top back on his trailer but instead of exiting the freeway, he tried to go under the next bridge.
MDOT's Rob Morosi said the state deals constantly with unreported incidents like this.
"Unreported damage is very frustrating," said Morosi. "It's unsafe."
State trucking permits are designed to prevent this kind of damage by telling drivers how high their carrier is and help trucking companies map routes around low trestles.
In other words, the driver should have known better.