Dump Truck Towing Excavator Strikes, Damages Maine Turnpike Overpass

A dump truck towing an excavator struck a turnpike overpass Tuesday morning in Scarborough, causing more than $100,000 in damage to the bridge, officials say.

The truck towing a flatbed trailer with the excavator was traveling southbound on the turnpike in Scarborough. The boom of the excavator struck the support beams to the Exit 44 overpass bridge, heavily damaging the structure just after 8 a.m., according to a press release from the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Additionally, shrapnel from the bridge damaged a vehicle that was following the trailer, ripping a large hole in the hood and breaking the front windshield. The two occupants of the car were not injured.

The Maine Turnpike Authority estimated that damage to the overpass exceeds $100,000, and the bridge’s strength and capacity were compromised. Traffic on the overpass has been restricted to personal vehicles.

The driver of the dump truck, Thomas Stanley, 44, of Old Orchard Beach, was issued summonses for an unsecured load and operating over height on the turnpike. Troopers say they found several defects with the vehicle and trailer and charged Williams Brothers Paving with violation of trailer brakes.

No injuries were reported in the accident.