Semi truck filmed dragging hunk of concrete after hitting monument on GPS detour around Helene closures

A semi truck was filmed dragging a hunk of concrete after striking a memorial on a route now frequented by CMVs due to ongoing Helene closures. 

The accident happened on Tuesday, February 25th, at a roundabout in Elizabethton, Tennessee. 

According to WCYB, the semi truck got stuck in the roundabout and then ran into the veterans monument while trying to get unstuck. Resident Michael Kaal videoed the aftermath of the incident. 

“He was starting to kind of curb it,” Kaal said. “He started just kind of accelerating and then just completely gassed it, and at that point, he just plowed right into the side of the memorial. He took out the cannon. I’m just kind of in shock, watching this whole thing. Rocks are flying everywhere.”

Kaal then called 911 and followed the truck while filming, capturing it dragging a hunk of concrete from the memorial as it drove for nearly a mile on a highway. 

Officials say they have had multiple incidents involving tractor trailers in the roundabout since hurricane Helene damaged the Broad Street Bridge, forcing truckers to find alternate routes. 

“This makes about the second, maybe the third incident we’ve had where somebody’s clipped the monument,” city spokesperson Ivan Sanders said. The city has installed large signs warning drivers to find another route, but it doesn’t seem to be working. 

“They will follow what GPS tells them for the shortest distance,” Sanders said. “I think that’s really what’s happening right now is a lot of the truck drivers are just taking the shortcut to try to save time.”

Work on the Broad Street Bridge is expected to be completed by May. Until then, officials say there isn’t much else they can do to redirect or help truckers. 

Watch the videos of the recent incident below.