Residents Hope This Will Prevent The Next Glenville Bridge Strike

There's nothing funny about the alarming rate of bridge strikes here in the Capital Region, but fed-up residents have taken a bit of a humorous approach to - what seems to be - a never-ending problem.

The Latest Bridge Strike

A few weeks back, an out-of-town truck driver slammed into the Maple Ave Bridge in Glenville - causing a volcanic propane-fueled explosion - area truck drivers and eyewitnesses weighed in on how and why this happened.

Witnesses told GNA they heard a loud BOOM at the moment of impact at around 6:45 pm on Thursday.  They told us the sky lit up in bright pink and orange as flames shot hundreds of feet into the air.  To make matters worse, an actual train on the tracks above caught fire while it was moving. 

Eyewitness Discuss the Explosive Incident on the GNA Morning Show:

According to sources, the man behind the wheel of the truck was Sylvester Basil Jr., from Clute, Texas. Basil sustained third-degree burns to his hands and face and was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center after causing the intense inferno.

Bridge strikes throughout the Capital Region are not uncommon, and afterward, most are left thinking the same thing -  how did the driver not know?

Locals Take Action

A viral social post by Two Buttons Deep showed how Glenville residents stepped up and made creative signs to ensure that it doesn't happen again - and people LOVE it.

Might this giant skeleton and huge inflatable Minion help prevent further bridge strikes in Glenville?

No one knows for sure.

But these signs are impossible to ignore if you're a trucker, and even more difficult to not smile at if you're a Capital Region resident all too familiar with the frequency of trucks crumpling up like sardine cans trying to pass underneath these bridges.

How Did the Driver Mess Up?

A trucker from the Capital Region, familiar with the particular route and the bridge, told GNA, "I'm a truck driver...I drive every day of the week. You'd have to be a real idiot to hit that bridge."

Locals know to approach the Maple Avenue Bridge with caution; it's tight and narrow and appears as though two cars can barely fit, let alone an 18-wheeler.

The same experienced trucker who called into GNA to voice his opinion couldn't fathom how Basil didn't see the warning signs, not to mention his GPS which should have alerted him of trouble ahead.

Capital Region Trucker Voices Opinion on the GNA Morning Show: