Fallen Sign Hit by Truck Stops Traffic on NY Bridge

An M.T.A. construction truck struck an overhead road sign on the Queens-bound plaza of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge at 1:10 p.m. on Friday, causing the steel sign structure to come crashing down on all six lanes and injuring two people who were on the truck, according to M.T.A. Bridges and Tunnels

The boom truck was driven by Alpha Painting and Construction Company, a contractor for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority hired to paint the bridges Queens and Bronx towers, according to Judie Glave, a spokeswoman for the authority. Two men sustained minor injuries, one had a head injury and another had a fracture leg, and both were taken to New York Queens Hospital.

George Attwal, a witness who said he was driving his Volkswagen Passat two cars behind the truck, described it as a pickup truck, with a cranelike operator in its bed, perhaps used like a cherry-picker to fix things, he said.

I guess he forgot to lower it and it hit the roadway sign, Mr. Attwal, 23, of Flushing, Queens, said in a telephone interview. It collapsed right in front of us and two people fell off. They were standing in the back of the pickup. On person fell off and he rolled onto the road itself.

Mr. Attwal, who was returning from a business call in New Jersey and headed to Long Island, said the accident all happened within two seconds. The car in front of him slammed on its brakes, and he hit his brakes hard to avoid a collision.

He estimated that the truck was going 15 to 20 miles an hour, but questioned why the two people would be outside on the bed of the truck.
New York

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Fallen
• Sign
• Stops
• Traffic
• on
• NY
• Bridge
• Blocks
• both
• directions
• bridge
• in
• Queens
• New
• York
• after
• hit
• by
• truck

[blueislandbeachbum]

Poor maintenance , a bad general manager Ray Webb of farmingdale new york

[inktoxicated]

yea the sign says no trucks on the parkway but this is on the whitestone bridge. trucks are allowed on there. LOL that musta been a fun expericnce for the cars following that truck. lol fuck new york and there tolls,traffic,accidents, and rude peice of shit citizens

[wavedigital]

who's paying for this?

[crispy1995]

@mustange550 The sign is for the exit to the Cross Island Parkway, which is closed to trucks.

[mustange550]

LOL 1:28 look at that sign that has the circle with a truck in the center and a red slash going across whats that about? Kinda Ironic

[og229]

I remembered that day. Traffic was backed up as far as Trenton, NJ- I kid you not!. It's incredible there were no serious injuries.

[ntatap]

It was not a MTA vehicle that hit the sign, it was contruction vehicle that was driving across the bridge. The yellow truck belongs to MTA B&T and that was sent later to assist in the clean-up.

[chinesewoowoo]

OH WOW

[irishthankgod]

Thats incredible im glad to hear no one ws injured , you dont realise these stupid signs are so big and heavy Cathy

[ananya7ananya]

wow! thanks for sharing this video!