A giant blue tank is lifted off of I-93 South by a crane crew. The truck carrying the object smashed into the Roosevelt Circle overpass in Medford on Monday afternoon, causing serious damage. Photo: Karyn Regal/WBZ NewsRadio
MEDFORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Traffic snaked for miles down I-93 South on Monday afternoon after an over-height cargo truck plowed into the Roosevelt Circle overpass in Medford. The truck, carrying what looked like a giant blue water tank, slammed into the overpass at around 3:30 PM.
The traffic buildup stretched at one point from the scene of the accident to the Route 128 cloverleaf in Reading.
Large chunks of the bridge were missing and the metal beams holding it up were warped as work crews tried to free the truck and its cargo from under the bridge. A crane was eventually called, and workmen struggled to get the huge tank onto a flatbed as transportation workers in a bucket truck inspected damage to the bridge.
In response, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) shut down three travel lanes to inspect the damage. Massachusetts State Police warned drivers to avoid the area.
WBZ's Karyn Regal reported live from the scene, saying the roadway was covered with debris. One neighbor, Rick Sacco, lives on nearby Ridgeway Road and was watching television when the crash happened.
"To me, it sounded almost like a sonic boom...I thought maybe something exploded," said Sacco.
The truck is operated by Dove Transportation LLC, a small Lincoln, Alabama-based shipping company. State Police later said that the driver of the truck was a 57-year-old from Alabama, and a 54-year-old woman who was riding in the truck as a passenger was taken to Mass. General Hospital for "possible minor injuries."
Read our latest coverage of this story here: MassDOT: Damage From Medford Bridge Strike Worse Than Expected
WBZ's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reported this story
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Written by Chaiel Schaffel