Damage to one of the five bridges hit by an excavator boom in Thurston County, Washington. Credit: WSDOT

While being hauled by a truck traveling through Thurston County, Washington, last week, an excavator’s boom collided with five different bridges before the driver finally pulled over.

The driver of the truck, 45-year-old George Russell, was delivering the excavator to an equipment rental company. Washington State Patrol Trooper Guy Gill told The News Tribune that Russell is “facing numerous defective equipment violations, registration and height and weight violations,” starting with the fact that Russell did not lower the boom of the excavator before hauling it.

Incredibly, Russell told troopers that he didn’t know he was hitting the bridges. “The driver did tell us that he did feel some surges while he was driving, but he didn’t know what that could be,” Gill said.

After inspecting the damage, WSDOT crews determined that none of the bridges’ structural integrity had been affected. None of them will be closed or put under weight restrictions since the main beams were not impacted.

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