Truck driver hauling excavator arrested for $500K hit and run at Texas bridge

Police recently arrested and charged a truck driver for a $500K hit and run at a bridge in Odessa, Texas.

At 10 a.m. Friday, April 5, the Odessa Police Department (OPD) responded to IH-20 and E. Loop 338 for a reported bridge strike.

Police determined that a semi truck driver hauling an excavator struck the overpass and caused $500,000 worth of damage to the structure, then fled the scene “without meeting the necessary legal requirements.”

According to the City of Odessa, Texas, the owner of the the semi truck later contacted police and identified the driver as 21 year old Albert Rempel.

OPD determined that Rempel did not have a permit to transport the oversized load.

Rempel was arrested and booked into Ector County Law Enforcement Center on misdemeanor charges of Bridge/Underpass Clearance and Duty on Striking Fixture/Highway Landscape.

“The IH-20 outside Eastbound Lane is expected to be closed for an undetermined amount of time. We encourage drivers to avoid the area and use alternate routes until further notice,” city officials said on Monday.