dump truck accident

Wild video has surfaced of the moment a dump truck smashed into a bridge on the 401

The internet is abuzz with comments about the (lack of) skills of one very embarrassed dump truck driver who somehow lodged the box of their rig under an overpass on the very busy Highway 401 this week.

The giant hunk of red metal could be seen from far and wide, stuck tightly between the roadway and a concrete pedestrian bridge near Mavis Road in Mississauga, right in the middle of morning rush hour on Wednesday, of course.

While the resulting closure of all eastbound express lanes made for many a pissed-off commuter, no one was hurt and the box was fortunately empty at the time, having just unloaded materials for highway improvemetnts further up the highway.

And though the scene was indeed ridiculous, video has now emerged of the exact moment it happened, showing just how narrowly a more serious accident was avoided.

The clip starts with the filmer-driver attempting to notify the dump truck operator with a series of honks that the box of his vehicle was up — an obvious no-no while flying down the highway, even to a person with no knowledge of these things.

When the filmer realizes that the dump truck operator was still unaware of the situation, he correctly anticipates what is about to happen, swearing all the while.

Then, the moment of a contact: a huge but thankfully somewhat distant-sounding crash as the box hits the overpass and sticks there, the rest of the truck continuing on its way as sparks and dust fly.

The filmer here continues to honk and curse in disbelief (and in multiple languages) as he and other cars on the highway slow down and carefully pass the lone box, vertically blocking the centre lane.

It was still dark when the footage was taken, which made the flying sparks all the more dramatic and undoubtedly scary for all those on the road, and also made the box — not reflective or in a well-lit area — all the more dangerous for passing cars.

The operator, obviously realizing that they had made a huge mistake, can be seen pulled onto the right-hand shoulder a ways past their glaring screw-up, but it was far, far too late for the situation (and his job, most likely) to be saved.

As shocking and frustrating as the video is to watch, the fact that "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day is playing in the background of the footage does add to the undeniable comic nature of the incident, which seems more like something out of a cartoon than something you'd see on your morning drive to work.

Lead photo by

Alejandro Ruiz


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