Video: Lorry smashes into pedestrian overpass in Canada
Trailer loaded with canola seed was ‘unwittingly left in the raised position’
A lorry’s spectacular collision with an overpass was captured on camera on a Canadian motorway.
The loaded bed of the articulated lorry was “unwittingly left in the raised position” as it sped along Highway 40 near the town of Repentigny, east of Montreal, says CBC.
The video, filmed by a stunned fellow motorist, shows the lorry racing towards the pedestrian overpass before the raised bed smashes into the bridge at full speed, shattering in a burst of red shards.
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No-one was injured in the incident, but the trailer, which was carrying canola seed, “completely exploded after the violent impact”, reports the Montreal Gazette.
Both lanes of the highway were closed following the accident, and the eastbound lane will remain closed while investigators work on the scene.
The Quebec transport ministry has said that part of the pedestrian bridge will be dismantled as a “preventative measure” while a full inspection takes place.
“Proposed reforms to the Highway Safety Code include a study on whether a warning light should be put inside the cab of large trucks to signal if their semi-trailer is raised,” notes CBC. “Currently, no such regulation exists.”
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