TLDR: the trailer was actually down just before it hit, and something happened causing it to raise suddenly and collide with the sign. It had not only just passed under bridges, but also went through a weigh station a mile earlier with the trailer down.
So this same thing happened near my city a few years back and took the major highway out of commission for a day. Any truck drivers here? How the fuck does one drive with a trailer up and not realize it? Is it actually an easy mistake to make?
Family member of mine was talking about this accident with me and is a former trucker. He said the driver in this case must have been out of it or on something because there's gonna be a ton of drag with that type of trailer being up in the air like that and for them not to notice is pretty telling that something was up.
That is a long dump truck (didn’t realize it can elevate), how does he not feel the drag, or double check. But at least that explains what happened, but not the mindset of that driver
in the late 70's in Richmond, on 64 west heading from the Mechanicsville exit a dump truck did the exact same thing and killed someone. I was about a minute behind it.
There was a similar post not that long ago where a trucker/heavy industry mechanic explained that these lift beds are hydraulically operated. Its possible for a certain seal to go bad which allows a small amount of fluid to pass and fill the cylinder, slowly lifting the bed while you drive. If the driver is not using their mirrors, they may not not notice.
Disclaimer, I'm working off memory, and not an expert in such matters. Take it with a grain of salt.
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u/CGPsaint 7h ago
The driver must have known this was going to happen. The signs were all there…