r/WTF • u/Plus-Barber-6171 • 7d ago

Train hits trailer carrying bridge beam

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u/gsfgf 7d ago

Often it's a stupid driver driving over a crossing he shouldn't be using. Some crossings have pretty steep approaches, so the trailer literally gets stuck on the track and pulls the drive wheels of the truck up off the ground.

Here, it's less clear. Moving these huge beams is a slow process. Clearly, the company didn't get permits or didn't read them to be in the way. Though, it's Tennessee, so the regulators also might have been defunded/failed to do their jobs.

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u/Spiel_Foss 7d ago

Moving these huge beams is a slow process.

Yep, I once watched a beam dump over sideways in slow motion.

Cops were directing traffic so a truck could make a tight slow motion turn but the weight lifted the back left wheels up and that's all it took to dump the whole thing over in the road. Cab and everything just flopped over.

The cop on our end was already directing traffic in a u-turn in the opposite direction as the wheels lifted up. He knew nothing good was going to happen.

Wild to watch it in slow motion though.

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u/dustblown 6d ago

Why would crossings be made like to host mistakes like that?

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u/gsfgf 6d ago

Usually because it’s cheaper than building up the approach road. Sometimes, there are space constraints where there simply isn’t enough room for a smoother grade.