GORHAM, Maine — A dump truck fell through a covered bridge Friday afternoon in Gorham after it exceeded the structure's weight limit.
The incident happened on Babb's Bridge on Hurricane Road.
Gorham police and fire officials responded to a report of the crash around 12:45 p.m., the Gorham Police Department said in a news release.
Police said a Ford F-750 dump truck driven by 37-year-old Joshua Polewarzyk was loaded with crushed gravel when it crossed the wooden bridge from Gorham into Windham.
"The excessive weight of the vehicle caused the wooden floor of the bridge structure to give way," the release stated.
Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss told NEWS CENTER Maine the two-axle dump truck had a gross weight of 36,000 pounds, but the bridge could only support a maximum weight of 6,000 pounds.
"This is a very severe instance of what could happen ... when a bridge is almost 50 years old and unique as this one is, and you have a vehicle that appears to be terribly overloaded, something like this happens," MaineDOT spokesperson Paul Merrill said.
As a result, the dump truck fell through the bridge into the river below.
"The operator was able to self-extricate himself from the truck and only sustained minor injuries," the release said.
Gorham police said on Facebook the road would be closed for an "undetermined amount of time" and advised motorists to seek an alternate route.
The Maine Department of Transportation remained on the scene evaluating the structural status of the bridge, according to the release. Windham police were also at the scene Friday afternoon.
MaineDOT said in a news release it expects Babb's Bridge to remain closed to traffic for several months after the incident.
"People who I work with, who have been around for decades, do not know of any instance like this happening, in any bridge in MaineDOT's bridge inventory. This is a first, I believe," Merrill said.
The bridge was first built in 1840 but burned down in 1973. The bridge was rebuilt in 1976 as an exact replica, according to MaineDOT.
The bridge is inspected at least every two years, according to the release from MaineDOT. The last inspection took place at the end of July this year.
The crash remains under investigation by Gorham police and the Maine State Police Commercial Division.
Police ask anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact Sgt. Ted Hatch with the Gorham Police Department at 207-222-1660 ext. 1.