Dallas Truck Accident Damages Highway Overpass

A Dallas truck accident snarled traffic on Friday afternoon when the lift arm of a tractor-trailer struck a bridge overpass. The Dallas truck accident shut down all of the northbound lanes on Loop 12 and most of the eastbound traffic on Highway 183 near Irving. Traffic at the busy highway intersection moved at less than ten miles in hour in some spots. Law enforcement officers rerouted traffic to side streets for several hours as TxDOT investigators checked the overpass for damages.

Details of the Dallas Truck Accident

Reports from the Irving Police Department revealed some of the details behind the Dallas truck accident. The reports showed that the lift arm of a garbage truck came up unintentionally and struck the bridge overpass. The lift arm loosened concrete and rebar from the bridge, forcing officials to close the freeway for several hours. The driver in the Dallas truck accident suffered minor injuries and his truck had to be towed from the scene. An SUV was also damaged when debris from the bridge fell on the vehicle, but the driver suffered only minor scrapes.

Dallas Truck Accident Under Investigation

Investigators with both the Texas Department of Transportation and the Irving Police Department are investigating the Dallas truck accident. According to reports, the garbage truck driver stated that he did not activate the lift arm before it struck the overpass. Local reporters contacted the driver’s employer, Champion Waste and Recycling Services, but they did not return any calls about the driver or the Dallas truck accident.

Dallas Truck Accident Stops Traffic

The pace of vehicle traffic surrounding the Dallas truck accident was at a crawl for most of Friday afternoon. Vehicles were backed up for several miles as officers directed traffic to the highway frontage roads around the Dallas truck accident. At one point, traffic was estimated to be moving at only seven miles per hour. TxDOT crews started re-opening the two main inside lanes of eastbound Highway 183 at 5:30 pm, nearly six hours after the accident. Within the hour, crews also opened up traffic on northbound Loop 12.

Damages from the Dallas Truck Accident

The investigation into the Dallas truck accident will also include an assessment of the damages the lift arm inflicted on the bridge structure. A TxDOT report showed that the Dallas truck accident damaged three crossbeams that hold up the shoulder and right-hand eastbound lanes of Highway 183. The agency is considering closing those lanes until crews can make a more thorough evaluation of the structural damage and address potential safety concerns.

Source: KTXA-TV

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