16.11.2011
Bridge bashing extreme
From time to time we report on a case of ‘bridge bashing’ usually by a loader crane or boom truck that has not been properly stowed, or a crane/aerial lift on a trailer that passes under a bridge that is simply too low.
The following case involves none of the above, but still a salutary reminder for us all that lack of attention to stowing a boom, or in the case of a very high load lack of checks to the route, can have dramatic effects.
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This is bridge bashing at its most extreme
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The driver was lucky not to have had the bridge on his head
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Bridge bashing with a large excavator
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Incredibly the excavator remained on the trailer
Rarely is the damage as significant as in this case that occurred on Highway 16 last month in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Canada, when a truck transporting a large 360 degree tracked excavator smacked into a railway bridge bringing down the tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
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The incident brought down the entire bridge section
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The Canadian Pacific railway
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...was badly disrupted
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The backhoe did not fare too well either
The bridge has a 5.1 metre clearance height – more than enough for most loads, but the excavators boom was clearly higher than that and the results can be clearly seen. Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident.
The driver Bradley Hein, 47, has charged with exceeding the maximum dimensions allowed under Canada’s Highway and Transportation Act. His case will be heard in court on December 12th.
C R Dubé
If you really want to know the quality of the bridges in Canada see this link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/22/f-smart-bridges.html and then you will know. Unfortunately Canadian AND Northern US states bridges do not fair well to weather (where in the UK nobody moves when a skiff of snow is seen in the air). They use 10 to 20 times the amount of salt used in the UK (and probably 100 times in the Rockies) and most of the materials used, and yes, even coated reinforced rod in concrete suffer the fatal disease of 'CORROSION'. After seeing this you may not want to venture on any Canadian bridge, railway OR roadway. Brings back memories of the I-35 Bridge failure in Minneapolis!
C R Dubé
If you really want to know the quality of the bridges in Canada see this link http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/22/f-smart-bridges.html and then you will know. Infortunately Canadian AND Northern US states bridges do not fair well to weather (where in the UK nobody moves when a skiiff of snow is seen in the air). They use 10 to 20 times the amount of salt used in the UK and most of the materials used, and yes, even coated reinforced rod in concrete suffer the fatal didease of 'CORROSION'. After seeing this you may not want to venture on any Canadian bridge, railway OR roadway. Brings back memories of the I-35 Bridge failure in Minneapolis!
Dear Mr Editor,
Interesting that you reported this highly dangerous incident from a Road Safety perspective, when in reality this is a Major Safety Issue for the Rail Industry : For what you have so eloquently described above is the UK's Network Rail Nightmare Scenario. (and its predecessor British Rail) .
For both organisations have feared for the past 30 yrs or so, the possibility of a negligent Truck Driver driving his truck into a Railway Bridge while carrying an over-height Hydraulic Excavator. ( Or any other Machine for that matter) : Thus hitting the Bridge and knocking the Rail tracks above out of alignment. ( As depicted above so clearly in Canada) : Five minutes later along comes a High Speed Train with 500 or so passengers on board, all travelling at 75 MPH with the entire train then de-railing at the bridge, possibly Killing and Injuring hundreds of those same innocent people.
( As occurred three times in the UK since 2002 at Selby, Ufton Nervet and Grayrigg)
What you should have reported is the Truck Drivers Negligent Act in not knowing the overall Height of his Load. Moreover this incident is not accidental at all, for it is a significant failure of this Drivers Common Law Duty of Care to all other Road Users. For to be in full control of his truck, means knowing the overall height of his truck and load at all times, namely the JD Hydraulic Excavator. So when this 37 ton GCW truck hit the bridge above, he was not only applying the gross combination weight of the truck, but actually applying a Dynamic Force equal to the gross weight of 37 tons multiplied by his actual road speed at the time of impact. ( So at 50 MPH Road Speed or more, this was the simplistic figure of circa 1850 tons.)
Given the application of this Dynamic Force, is it any wonder that this Rail Bridge was knocked off its support Piers, but the real Miracle is that a Passenger Train did not then approach this site within minutes of this dangerous act. In the UK this scenario is likely to result in Criminal Charges for both the Truck Driver and his Employer, who maybe held to be Vicariously Liable : With the possibility of Manslaughter charges for both in the event of fatalities on the Railway above. For Manslaughter is defined in English Law as any Fatality arising from a Negligent or Unlawful Act.
The Moral to this report of Gross Negligence above is Truck Drivers should ....
(a) Always carry a Tape Measure in the cab and...
(b) Always apply it to the maximum height of the Machine Loaded.
(c) Always know the overall Height of your Load and Always read the Bridge Height Signs.
Kind Regards
Mike Ponsonby BA
Dear Mr Editor,
Interesting that you reported this highly dangerous incident from a Road Safety perspective, when in reality this is a Major Rail Safety Issue. For what you have so eloquently described above is the UK's Network Rail Nightmare Scenario. (and its predecessor British Rail) .
For both organisations have feared for the past 30 yrs or so, the possibility of a negligent Truck Driver driving his truck into a Rail Bridge while carrying an over-height 360 degree Hydraulic Excavator. ( Or any other Machine) Thus hitting a Rail Over-bridge and knocking the tracks above out of alignment. ( As depicted so clearly above)
Five minutes later along comes a High Speed Train with 500 passengers on board all travelling at 75 MPH plus, with the entire train then de-railing at the bridge, possibly killing and Injuring hundreds of those innocent people.
( As occurred three times in UK since 2002 at Selby, Ufton Nervet and Grayrigge)
What you should have reported is the Truck Drivers Negligent Act is not knowing the overall Height of his Load. Moreover is not accidental, it is a failure on his part of his Common Law Duty of Care to all other Road Users. For to be in full control of his truck, means knowing the overall height of truck and load namely the John Deere Hydraulic Excavator. So when his 37 ton GCW truck hit that bridge, he was not only applying the gross weight of the truck, but actually applying a Dynamic Force equal to the Gross Combination Weight of 37 tons multiplied by his actual road speed.
( So at 50 MPH Road Speed or more, this was simplistic circa 1850 tons.)
Given the application of this Dynamic Force is it any wonder that the Bridge moved, but the real Miracle is that a Passenger Train did not then approach this site within minutes of this dangerous act. In the UK this scenario is likely to result in Criminal Charges for both the Truck Driver and his Employer, with the possibility of Manslaughter charges in the event of any fatalities on the Railway above. For Manslaughter is defined in English Law as any Fatality arising from a Negligent or Unlawful Act.
The Moral to this report of Gross Negligence above is....
(a) Always carry a Tape Measure in the cab and...
(b) Always apply it to the maximum height of the Machine Loaded.
(c) Accept that it is vitally important for Road & Rail Safety to ensure that Truck Drivers :-
'Always know the overall Height of your Load and read the Bridge Signs 24/7 '
Kind Regards
Mike Ponsonby BA
Barecat
it seems to me that the quality of the excavator is much better than the quality of highway bridges in Canada.