Overweight Propane Truck Plunges Through Wooden Bridge Into Creek Below

A propane truck fell through a wooden bridge in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in a completely avoidable incident that could have cost the driver their life. The Sharp Energy trucker was reportedly transporting a full load on Tuesday afternoon, April 29, when they decided to turn onto the wooden bridge that connects Orchid Place with the Wildlands Conservancy. They barely made it a full truck’s length before the structure collapsed, dropping the tanker into Little Lehigh Creek.

Sharp Energy told CBS News Philadelphia, “We are aware of the situation and are working closely with local officials to investigate the incident.”

How could this have been avoided? For starters, there’s a sign before the bridge that clearly states its five-ton weight limit. CDL-carrying truck drivers are supposed to know the weight of their trucks for situations like this. Even if the driver didn’t know the exact weight of the truck, they should have at least paused to check. The average weight of a fully loaded propane tanker is between 10-15 tons, so at least double the bridge’s limit.

It also seems like a mistake other truck drivers don’t make. According to nearby residents, there’s another road that truck drivers use to avoid the bridge, which can clearly be seen from Google Maps—even if it’s a bit out of the way. “Most of the time when heavy equipment comes in here, they come up this road because of the bridge. Perhaps it didn’t know that that was a weight limit,” said Emmaus local Brad Landis to CBS News Philadelphia.

Thankfully, the driver wasn’t hurt in the collapse, nor did any propane leak. A crane crew spent hours removing the tanker, and the recovery process temporarily knocked out power for neighbors. It also damaged one of the conservancy’s main access points, which will be a big inconvenience until it’s fixed. The town has the bridge in full repair mode, though, and will hopefully get it back in order soon.

I don’t drive big trucks, nor do I envy anyone who does. It seems like a difficult job to navigate those massive, heavy vehicles, so I don’t like to criticize. But c’mon, man. There was a sign right there.

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