Sheriff says semi truck driver ‘misjudged’ height, struck railroad bridge at 55 MPH

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) shared details about a Sunday night bridge strike that occurred near Lincoln, Nebraska.

The LCSO was contacted around 11:30 p.m. on December 22 for a crash on Highway 6 and SW 63rd., west of Lincoln, as traffic was diverted off eastbound I-80 onto Highway 6 for a bridge demolition project.

When LCSO deputies arrived the scene, they found a semi truck had hit the railroad bridge.

“The driver misjudged his cargo height compared to the low clearance bridge at SW 63rd, as you know that is a railroad,” LCSO said in a Monday news conference. “He was traveling at almost 55 m.p.h. and almost came to a dead stop when he hit the bridge.”

No injuries were reported.

“Yeah, he misjudged. He thought his cargo was eight foot and it was nine,” LCSO told reporters.

The crash was cleared by around 4 a.m. on December 23.