13'6" V.s. 11'10"

Main Street closed after truck collides with Dexter railroad bridge

Main Street in the village of Dexter was closed for about four hours Monday after a semi truck collided with the railroad bridge, according to Dexter Area Fire Department officials.

The road re-opened about 1:30 p.m. Monday, officials said.

A Con-Way Freight semi truck eastbound on Main Street collided with the bottom of the viaduct as it was driving through about 10:44 a.m. Monday, shredding the top half of its trailer off in the process, said Dexter Fire Lt. Lee Root.

The impact peeled the top off of the trailer and opened the side of the trailer, Root said.

The truck's driver was uninjured in the incident, Root said. 

Part of the truck's load spilled onto the roadway. The contents of the trailer were not disclosed by the fire department, but appeared to include small equipment including a tractor.

The viaduct's posted clearance is 11 feet, 10 inches.

Main Street was closed in both directions as crews worked to clean up the accident. The crumpled metal of the trailer was removed piece by piece as workers sawed off small pieces and then pulled them off by attaching them with a chain to the front of a tow truck.

Root said the truck's cab could likely be driven away. Drivers going west out of downtown Dexter were being diverted down Dexter-Chelsea Road as a result of the accident.

NAILED IT!!!

His iPhone told him turn right...

There is no excuse lol, I get nervous at 11' clearance in my lifted suburban lol.

That's insane. I mean, how can you not tell that bridge is that low even if you didn't see the sign? I agree with Jay - there's a bridge near me that's actually 13' 6" but it's near a hill that makes it look much lower. I still get nervous going under it in my pickup truck just because it feels weird going under a bridge that looks that low. But to slam into an 11' 10" bridge at the speed he was going? His eyes couldn't have been that far from hitting the bridge for God's sake!

I grew up in Dexter and know that bridge well. Long way to back out and usually a line of cars since it's marked as a narrow bridge (about a 2.5 car width). It's clearly marked. Looks like he rolled the dice and lost.