Peeled 'like a tuna can': 18 wheeler hits Third Street bridge near U of L

It has seemingly become an annual occurrence. OK, maybe even more frequent than that.

An 18-wheeler truck became stuck as it tried passing under the Third Street bridge near the University of Louisville Wednesday night.

Nick Schade, director of operations at Tony's Wrecker Service, said he helped pull out the truck after it became struck under the viaduct at Third Street and Winkler Avenue about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The driver of the truck, which was hauling engine parts, was not from Louisville and probably not aware of the bridge's truck-busting reputation, Schade said.

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"He was not from around here and followed his GPS to the tee, and he got to the overpass and hit it," Schade said. "The trailer was peeled back like you peel back a tuna can."

No one was injured, and traffic was still allowed to pass under the bridge as Schade and his team worked on removing the truck, according to Schade. The scene was cleared by about 10:30 p.m.

Schade said his family's towing company has been in business for 63 years, and he's seen plenty of similar accidents in Louisville in his 30 years of work.

Andrea Clifford, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 5 spokeswoman, said there have been many crashes there with truck drivers not heeding the standard height warning signs. 

"Several years ago, KYTC installed electronic over-height detection signs on both Eastern Parkway and on southbound Third Street," Clifford said in an email.

KYTC does not keep a list of crashes at the Third Street bridge, but employees will check reports through the law enforcement database, Clifford said.

The signs are maintained by Louisville Metro Public Works. 

Last March, a truck took on the bridge and "looked like a half-open can of sardines by the time it had wiggled its way under the bridge," the Courier Journal previously reported. 

Entire Reddit threads are dedicated to trucks falling victim to the viaducts near the university, which are owned by Norfolk Southern.

One such thread refers to the infamous Third Street bridge as "The Can Opener."

"GPS has made it more frequent," Schade said. "(Drivers) are watching the GPS and not watching the road signs."

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The truck belonged to Rich Logistics, which has its home office in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Schade said the peeled-back trailer of the truck is not reparable after Wednesday's evening encounter with the bridge.

The cargo is usually transferred to a new truck so it can be delivered, he added.

As for the bridge at Third and Winkler?

"The bridge wasn't hurt as usual," Schade said.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030.