On December 25, a young truck driver who was driving a 30 tons truck destroyed a bridge that was built in 1880 in Paoli, Indiana.
Mary Lambert, 23, has received her commercial driver’s license not that long ago. She was trying to drive her 30 tons truck over the bridge where the road signs warned that no more than 6 tons are allowed. The young driver said that she did not know how much 6 tons were in pounds.
Lambert made a wrong turn. To get back on the route she tried to cross the old bridge. She also had a passenger, her 17-year old cousin.
As a result, Lambert will be fined for disregarding a traffic control device, reckless operation of the commercial vehicle and being overweight on the posted bridge. The trucking company she is working for will likely be facing legal issues for the next few years.
It’s a real shame that such an old bridge got destroyed. While this is partially Mary’s fault for not paying attention to the road signs or for not knowing what they mean, a 23 year old shouldn’t be driving a 30 tons truck. A more experienced driver should have handled this shipment.
Wow, that’s a dramatic picture. She couldn’t just look at the bridge and think “hmmm maybe this isn’t a good idea”? I mean come on…Also shouldn’t weights be covered in the license exam? Crappy. I’m glad no one was killed!