Dump truck with raised box crashes at top of Skyway

scotto

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Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator

Dump truck with raised box crashes at top of Skyway, Burlington mayor says bridge could be closed for days

Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring says the Skyway Bridge could be closed for days as a result of an accident in the Toronto-bound lanes caused by a dump truck.

The mayor tweeted after Thursday's rush hour crash: "Toronto bound Skyway Bridge is closed down due to an accident and it could be closed for days as there is concern about damage to the bridge."

The mayor could not be reached for further comment.

The dump truck, with its box up, struck the overhead truss of the bridge around 3:40 p.m. The impact brought steel girders and wood from construction scaffolding down on a nearby truck. Wood also littered all three westbound lanes.

The dump truck driver was not hurt. OPP Sergeant Kerry Schmidt said the driver in the other vehicle – a bread truck – received minor injuries.
Read More;
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4...ay-burlington-mayor-says-bridge-could-be-clo/
 

scotto

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And now this from the Spec.

Man charged with impaired in Skyway crash

A 34-year-old Brampton man has been charged with impaired driving in connection with a dump truck crash that shut down the Toronto-bound lanes of the Burlington Skyway Bridge during rush-hour Thursday.
 

scotto

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Burlington skyway closure “unprecedented”

By Nicole O'Reilly
Hamilton Spectator
The Ministry of Labour says it's supervising the assessment of damage to the Burlington Skyway, to make sure workers are safe as they sort through the wreckage of a crash that could keep the roadway closed for days.
The Toronto-bound lanes of the Burlington skyway remain closed after a dump truck with its box up crashed into an overhead truss, which then took out construction scaffolding on the bridge around 3:40 p.m.

A structural engineer from the Ministry of Transportation is examining the safety of bridge.

But city traffic engineering superintendent David Ferguson said he doesn't expect to know until this afternoon whether the closure will be "two days or two weeks."

"It's already an unprecedented closure," said Ferguson, who noted the average highway shutdown for a fatal crash in the area is around 12 hours. "I've looked back 10, 20 years and I don't think we've ever had one longer than a day."

Toronto-bound traffic on the QEW has been detoured onto the Red Hill Valley Parkway, which is already 85 per cent full in morning rush hour. Diverted vehicles this morning created an inevitable backup on the Linc, which sees around 90,000 vehicles daily, as well as on Highway 403 heading into Toronto.
Read More;

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4731376-update-burlington-skyway-closure-unprecedented-/
 

Sharla1

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A couple of those pics were unreal on twitter. What a mess. Like they needed more work to repair.
 
Nov 26, 2006
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Its good that Nobody was hurt, if that is the truck I think it is that guy drives like a dick I have seen it almost get in two accidents on different occasions he uses it like a battering ram assuming that the cars will give way because it is bigger, I am so glad I dont work from Hamilton east end any more
 

scotto

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I drove up to James St. yesterday and every street was packed with traffic trying to get to the west end of the city, this has done more than just tie up the Beach.
 
Nov 26, 2006
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this guy should be charged with all the clean up and inconvienince it has caused, but I guess he will just get a new license under a different name and carry on
 

scotto

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this guy should be charged with all the clean up and inconvienince it has caused, but I guess he will just get a new license under a different name and carry on
He will never make enough money in his life time to cover the cost of just the repair and I really can't see that any company would ever hire him again.
Why did he raise the bucket on the way up the Skyway?
 

Buckwheat

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"Bin Truck Driver"

He will never make enough money in his life time to cover the cost of just the repair and I really can't see that any company would ever hire him again.
Why did he raise the bucket on the way up the Skyway?
Was this really an accident?
 

scotto

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Work crews have added a new truss to the top of the Skyway bridge where it was damaged and from news reports, the bridge should be open with in the next hour with reduced lanes.
I can't believe they got it done so fast.

 

scotto

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UPDATE: Skyway Bridge to reopen between 6 and 8 p.m.

By Nicole O'Reilly

The Toronto-bound lanes of the Skyway Bridge will reopen tonight between 6 and 8 p.m.

In a conference call this afternoon, Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Astrid Poei said the site has been cleared of debris, and temporary repairs have been made to the steel and pavement.

Crews worked all weekend to remove the scaffolding and damaged steel as well as the four vehicles on site. Workers started laying down new asphalt this morning.

More permanent repairs are still needed, including a new steel beam. The timeline for that work is about two months.

There is no cost estimate on repairs but Poei said it could be in the millions.

It will be up to the courts to determine who is at fault, and that party or parties would be liable for costs.

The critical four-lane span closed Thursday after a dump truck with a raised box crashed into an overhead truss and construction scaffolding.

According to Peter Verok, regional director of the central region MTO, the bucket of the dump truck that hit the bridge did not raise until the truck was climbing the bridge. There are censors in place a kilometre down the street and none was activated.

Sukhvinder Singh Rai, 34, of Brampton faces impaired driving charges and an Aug. 22 court date.

However, OPP investigators said late last week that bridge safety concerns prevented an examination of the dump truck for mechanical problems.



Special to The Hamilton Spectator
 

scotto

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Traffic woes abate as Skyway reopens

Bridge made usable, but permanent repairs to be done at nighttime over the next two months

By Rachael Williams
The Hamilton Spectator
After five days of traffic nightmares, the Burlington Skyway has reopened.

The Ministry of Transportation made the announcement on Monday at 3 p.m. after removing four damaged vehicles from the bridge, making temporary repairs, and removing all debris.

All lanes opened at around 6 p.m. after workers paved a 60-metre stretch and repainted the road lines.

According to the MTO, permanent repairs still need to be made, including the fabrication and installation of a new steel beam to replace the one that was damaged in Thursday's crash. That work will be done at night over the next two months to ensure any lane reductions will have a minimal impact on traffic.

Astrid Poei from MTO said it is too early to estimate the cost of damages, but it could run into the millions.
Read more;
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4733792-traffic-woes-abate-as-skyway-reopens/
 

scotto

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#17
New charges expected against Skyway Bridge crash driver

Hamilton Spectator
By Molly Hayes


The trucker accused of a drunk-driving crash into the Burlington Skyway will appear in court next Wednesday, when additional charges are expected to be laid.

This would be the first time Sukhvinder Rai, 34, appears in court himself. A lawyer has appeared on his behalf for his first two appearances.

Rai was the driver of a dump truck that slammed into the bridge in the Toronto-bound lanes of the Skyway on the Thursday afternoon before the August long weekend. The truck's box was raised when it hit the bridge.
Read More;

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4895851-new-charges-expected-against-skyway-bridge-crash-driver/
 

Sharla1

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Oct 15, 2009
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Two workers installing scaffolding at the top of the Skyway Bridge testified they had just seconds to brace themselves against metal girders before a truck slammed into the top of the structure.

The trial of Sukhvinder Singh Rai, 35, of Brampton opened Wednesday before Ontario Court Justice Fred Campling. Rai, a short, slightly built man with a black moustache and goatee, pled not guilty to impaired driving, driving with an illegal blood-alcohol level, dangerous driving and mischief endangering life.

Police said at the time of the July 31, 2014 crash that a red dump truck climbed the Toronto-bound lanes of the bridge at 3:40 p.m. the Thursday before the Civic Holiday. Its raised box smashed into an overhead truss and construction scaffolding on the top of the bridge, some five metres above the road.

The province spent $1.2 million to repair the Skyway and the crash clogged tens of thousands of vehicles as police rerouted traffic through the city.

Rai, who is on bail, is listening to the proceedings with the aid of a Punjabi interpreter. He is being represented by David Locke of Toronto.

Zachary Rennie, 21, had been working on installing scaffolding on the bridge, which was undergoing rehabilitation work, for about two months. On the afternoon of the crash he was working on the roof of the bridge with four or five other workers.

"What drew your attention that something was going on?" prosecutor Todd Norman asked.

"A co-worker warned us that a truck that was on the road was about to run into the scaffolding. It was a couple of seconds of warning.

"It was a violent impact, loud noise, fairly traumatizing experience for us workers," Rennie said. .

Norman inquired what effect the crash had on the scaffolding.

"It was a massive amount of noise and energy. It definitely compromised it. It was pretty well devastated."

Kyle Turnbull, 31, was also working on the bridge that afternoon.

"From the corner of my eye I saw a truck with its load extended upward. I turned to my co-workers and said 'this doesn't look right. Grab a hold of something. This truck is going to hit.'"

Turnbull said the workers were secured to the structure by harnesses.

Both Rennie and Turnbull said they were aware there was an alarm at the base of the bridge that would sound if a vehicle entered the bridge ramp that was over the height limit.

Norman asked both witnesses independently if the alarm sounded before the truck collided with the overhead truss. They both stated it didn't.

David Gates, 57, testified he was driving in the Toronto-bound lanes with his wife Sherry that afternoon when he witnessed an unusual sight.

"I noticed a truck in front of me that had the back up. I said I don't think it is going to make it underneath the bridge because the back is up too high," he testified.

Gates said the bucket of the truck was fully extended from the time it entered the ramp of the bridge.

"Did you see an indication the truck was braking?" Norman asked.

The witness replied in the negative.

Brock University economics student Xiaotong Cui, 22, was driving a 2014 BMW with his girlfriend Yuli Wang. Near the top of the bridge Cui changed lanes and was behind the truck when it hit the bridge. Cui, testifying via a Mandarin interpreter, said he slammed into the back of the truck.

Cui and Wang, 22, were both taken to hospital via ambulance where they were treated and released for bruised torsos. Cui said his vehicle sustained $40,000 damage.

The trial continues Thursday.


kpeters@thespec.com

905-526-3388
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6...s-tell-trial-of-dump-truck-s-violent-impact-/
 
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