OK, pop quiz time!
How much does 6 tons weigh?
A. 12,000 lbs.
B. 24,000 lbs.
C. 36,000 lbs.
D. I don’t know
If you’re the 23-year-old driver of a tractor/trailer that crunched a 135-year-old, landmark cast-iron bridge in downtown Paoli, Ind. last week, the answer is “D” apparently.
That was, according to a detailed entry on the Orange County Indiana law Enforcement Facebook page, Mary Lambright’s explanation of why she tried to drive her truck across the bridge over Lick Creek Christmas Day despite signs that posted its weight limit as 6 tons and also that no trucks were allowed.
The Facebook posting says Lambright told police she didn’t know how much 6 tons was when she tried to cross the bridge. Her 2015 Volvo and 53′ van was loaded with more than 21 tons of bottled water at the time of the crash.
The trailer roof struck a beam, wedging the rig on the bridge, which then partially collapsed.
Lambright, who is from Fredericksburg, Ind., was cited by police for reckless operation of a tractor-trailer, disregarding a traffic control device and overweight on a posted bridge.
Reports say neither Lambright, who received her CDL in May, nor her passenger, a 17-year-old cousin, were injured. She is an owner/operator and was driving for Louisville Logistics.
