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Trip planning…did we miss the sign ?
by Justine Marschner
Sunday, June 25th 2017
CNYCentral file photo
SALINA, N.Y. — A Florida man was ticketed on Saturday after he hit the railroad bridge on the Onondaga Lake Parkway with his 45 foot long RV, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.
It happened just before 1:00 p.m. at the CSX railroad bridge that passes over Onondaga Lake Parkway.
Gerald Williams, 74, of Florida was driving his 45-foot long 2009 Travel Supreme RV north on the Parkway when it struck the bridge. Deputies say Williams continued driving after the crash and was later found in a parking lot of a business off Lumber Way in the town of Cla
Deputies say the bridge sustained minor damage and pieces of metal and plastic were jammed into the griders.
The posted height of the CSX bridge is 10 feet 9 inches while the height of the truck is listed as being 12.5 feet.
The parkway was temporarily shut down while crews cleared debris from the roadway.
No one was injured from the crash, but one other vehicle driving behind the RV got a flat tire from driving through the debris.
Williams was ticket for for failure to obey a traffic control device and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.
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37 Replies
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You can’t fix stupid.
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He was probably looking at texts on his Smart phone and missed the signs.
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That’s funny Tom. And don’t forget that other catch phrase that would go well with your picture- “here’s your sign. “
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Thats my fear of going up on the east coast.
I know the major highways are probably ok but can you see all you need to see if you don’t leave the major highways.
I guess you could make day trips in the toad.
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The low bridge scenario happened to us too!
We were in Pennsylvania in the Dynasty back in 2011. Thank goodness there was a place to pull over. We ended up calling the local police to help us get around the low bridge. They were SO nice.
The officer told us that he has seen many truck and trailers go through peeling off the trailer with chickens covering the road! He also told us we were lucky that we were on ‘this’ side of the bridge as there would not have been a place to pull over on the other side.
(The Dynasty was 12′ 11″)
Safe travels,
Mark -
A trucker’s atlas will really help for trip planning.
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CoPilot navigation software can be set up with your height, width, length and weight and wil not lead you down a road that you shouldn’t be on. Used mainly by truckers to avoid these situations. I use it on an iPad that sits on top of my dash in front of the center pillar. If you want to be sure, check the Truckers Atlas as Jon suggested.
Doug
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Hi Doug,iI don’t know about the CoPilot part? I have CoPilot for RV and like it for it’s off line maps etc. I also have it set up for the height, weight etc of my bus. But it put me in a pot full of trouble when I went to ETLC recently. Some how I entered Church St instead of Horne St and low and behold there’s a Church St about two blocks away from ETLC.
So I take a right on Church St and my first thought is “this doesn’t look right”. However, being the great intellect I am I kept going, went around a little bend in the road and 100 yards in front of me is a bridge with a big sign saying 7′- 9″. Even I with my limited capacity could figure out a 13′ bus is not going to fit under a 7′- 9″ bridge.
I had a choice, back up 500 yards, not something I’ve done much of with the bus, or take a left just in front of the bridge and see what I find. I opted for the left where I found myself in an area of trailers on an acre or so lots. I couldn’t have gone more than 200 yards and saw the road go uphill and turn to the left. Not knowing where that would take me I decided to turn into a gravel driveway on the left.
Are you with me here? The road I’m on is maybe a lane and a half wide, I’m in a guys driveway and the other side of the street has mayber 2 feet of grass and then drops off 10 feet or so into a large drainage ditch. There’s also been a lot of rain so the ground is nice and soggy. I know what you’re thinking, ideal conditions right?
I get get out of the coach and take a look. The left of the drive is open, no mailbox, fence or anything I can’t roll over thank God! That’s where my left front tire has to go if I ever plan on getting out of here. I can also see the limited amount of road I have to back onto. I backup a little and get out o the bus, drive forward a little and back up again and do the same thing a few more times. Now I’m 90% good to go when a good meaning neighbor comes over and tells me if I’d of kept going it would have put me right back on the main road! So I shot him!
What
Now I’m headed back to Church St and leave a street that’s a lane and a half wide. Church St is not much wider. And do you know what you have on a street that dead ends into another street? Yah you guessed, a stop sign! And it’s sitting right up against the road. Just perfect to tare the side of my bus off. I made it but suffice it to say this is not the experience a new bus owner wants!Thank you CoPilot,
Harry
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Apparently any good story is worth retelling.
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Hey Jon,Isn’t history supposed to repeat itself! 🙂
I have no idea how that happened!
Harry
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Harry,
7 times You posted that, You must be bored ? I take it that You have not got Your bus back yet ?Safe travels,
Rocky -
Not yet Rocky, Jeff has found it to be one of his favorite bus’s and is finding it hard to part with! I know one of his guys took a picture with him giving it a BIG HUG but lacked the fortitude to post it! :). Sorry Jon, another big word meaning; “for having much tude”.It it was great meeting you Rocky!
Harry
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Harry, I think the admin guys are messing with you. (7 posts) Next they will turn your pretty Beaver avatar into a cartoon bus.
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Hi Jeff, Have you noticed how my harrowing experience has been turned into nothing more than a right turn on my way to church? Seven of the same posts and who runs the forum? Between the two of them they’re absolutely diabolical! 🙂I need to go by and see what I did to that guys yard and see if I can help make it right. I couldn’t stop at the time but I neeed to see what I can do to fix it?
Harry
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That was a pain in the ass deleting all those duplicates Harry, your due’s are headed north.
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