A trucker following his GPS unit made a wrong turn and ended up trapped on the Jersey shore boardwalk. The trucker drove his rig for more than two miles along the wooden platform leaving a trail of damage in his wake before finally coming to a stop near the end of the boardwalk in Ventnor, New Jersey.
A police patrol officer noticed the truck stopped around 5:30 AM on Wednesday, September 20, 2017. The officer initially assumed the truck was making a delivery for the Army Corps of Engineers dune building project. After questioning the driver, the officer learned the 18,000 lb vehicle had driven 2.7 miles along the boardwalk, which was not built to sustain such traffic.
“He was in for a penny, in for a pound,” said Police Chief Douglas H. Biagi to the Philly Voice. “He had zero explanation. I mean, the ocean is on one side, there are railings on both sides. There’s no mistaking you are on the boardwalk.”
Trucker follows GPS directions onto #JerseyShore boardwalk, leaves trail of damage behind. https://t.co/uFjyNzmtfr pic.twitter.com/oT0vgJIOms
— NJ.com (@njdotcom) September 20, 2017
Time reports public works engineers spent four hours removing railings and building a larger ramp. A sandy berm was constructed in the ramp’s corner, but the cab could not make the turn with the trailer still attached.
The driver detached the cab and drove off the boardwalk then a tow truck removed the trailer.
The driver, whose name was not released to the media, was not intoxicated and will be charged with several violations. Surprisingly, the driver will not be given any driving tickets since we was not operating the vehicle on an official highway.
Chief Biagi said that the driver and the trucking company will be held liable for expenses required to construct a larger ramp required to remove the trailer and any other damages. At first glance, the boardwalk appears to be intact, but a structural engineer will conduct a more thorough examination of the support structures.