Gravel dump truck crashes through Civil War-era covered bridge falling into Maine river

A horrific tragedy unfolded when a man decided to drive a 35,000-pound dump truck full of gravel over a Civil War-era covered wooden bridge.

The 19th century Babb’s Bridge in Gorham collapsed around 12:45 a.m. Friday when a Ford F-750 dump truck loaded with crushed gravel attempted to drive over the fragile structure.

Driver Joshua Polewarzyk, 37, of Limington attempted to cross the 183-year-old bridge but the wooden deck gave way, sending the vehicle into the river.

The truck weighed approximately 16,000 kilograms, which was almost 13,600 kilograms more than the permitted capacity of 2,700 kilograms.

Paul Merrill, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation, called the incident “unprecedented” and said this is “the first time” he’s seen this happen.

The driver, 37-year-old Joshua Polewarzyk from Limington, was attempting to cross the 183-year-old bridge when the wooden deck gave way, sending the vehicle into the river.

The truck rolled over, partially submerging the top. Fortunately, Polewarzyk managed to escape with only minor injuries.

“People I work with, who have been there for decades, don’t know of a single case like this on any bridge in the MaineDOT bridge inventory. This is a first, I believe,” Merrill told News Center Maine.

Gorham police said in a press release that “the excessive weight of the vehicle caused the wooden deck of the bridge structure to fail.”

The truck overturned and the top was partially submerged.

Fortunately, Polewarzyk managed to escape with only minor injuries.

According to the press release, the driver was able to free himself from the truck and suffered only minor injuries.

The truck, which weighed approximately 36,000 pounds, was nearly 30,000 pounds heavier than the bridge’s stated capacity of 6,000 pounds

The bridge, which spans the Presumpscot River between Gorham and Windham, was originally built in 1840 and rebuilt in 1976 after a fire. It is made of lumber

It will remain closed for several more months while officials assess the damage and plan repairs

MaineDOT reports the structure was last inspected in late July, just weeks before the accident.

“There’s probably a two or three mile detour, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t that long. But we know it’s going to be an inconvenience and we know it’s going to be an inconvenience for most of the rest of the year,” Merrill added.

The bridge, which spans the Presumpscot River between Gorham and Windham, was originally built in 1840 and rebuilt in 1976 after a fire. It is made of lumber.

“It was Maine’s oldest covered bridge until it was burned by vandals in 1973,” the release said. “MaineDOT crews built an exact replica of the bridge using Gorham-milled lumber and historically authentic construction techniques.”

‘The replacement bridge opened in 1976. The bridge is made of wood and the abutments on either side of the river are made of stone.’

It will remain closed for several more months while officials assess the damage and plan repairs.

“Due to a motor vehicle accident, the covered bridge on Hurricane Road in Gorham will be closed indefinitely. Please find a safe alternate route,” Gorham police announced on Facebook.

MaineDOT reports that the structure was last inspected in late July, just weeks before the accident. The bridge is inspected at least every two years, and the weight limit on the bridge was first set at three tons in 1983 and has remained the same since then.

“This is a very serious example of what can happen … when a bridge is almost 50 years old and unique, like this one, and you have a vehicle that looks terribly overloaded, something like this can happen,” Merrill said.

Many people criticized the driver, while others defended him for simply making a mistake.

“Wow, all these negative messages, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Is this even true? People make mistakes. When will we learn to stop rioting about mistakes?”, one user wrote on Facebook.

“I hope everyone involved is doing well,” wrote another.