Massachusetts DOT sues Alabama trucking company over 2021 bridge strike

June 19, 2024

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is suing an Alabama trucking company after one of the carrier’s trucks crashed into a bridge in 2021, causing “significant damage.” (Photo: Medford Fire Department)

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is suing an Alabama trucking company after one of the carrier’s trucks struck a bridge in 2021, causing “significant damage.”

The agency filed suit Friday against Dove Transportation, based in Lincoln, Alabama, about 45 miles from Birmingham. The incident occurred on July 19, 2021, when driver Curtis Henry crashed into a bridge on I-93 in Medford, Massachusetts.

The truck was transporting a metal tank when Henry drove the vehicle under a Roosevelt Circle overpass, according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. The tank struck the side of the bridge and “caused significant damage to the bridge’s support beams.”

The truck and trailer exceeded the height limit for the bridge, the lawsuit says.

“To date, MassDOT has not been compensated for the damage caused by the truck,” a spokesperson told FreightWaves. “MassDOT will continue to seek reimbursement from Dove Transportation and its insurance carrier. In the meantime, the lawsuit was filed to preserve and protect MassDOT’s interests in recovering all amounts owed as a result of this damage.”

Dove had a permit from the agency to drive the truck on certain roads, but not I-93. The permit also required the driver to avoid bridges without appropriate clearance, the lawsuit says.
A representative for Dove Transportation declined to comment on the lawsuit. The company has eight drivers and eight power units, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website.

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