Truck smashes bridge

Leaking gasoline threatened a creek which feeds into nearby Duck River, and a just-repaired bridge on U.S. 41A North was severely damaged this morning when struck by an out-of-control tractor-trailer.

"I hit a little bit of a lip on the side of the road ... just barely hit the lip and lost it," truck driver Daniel Teachey said, referring to thin grooves cut into the paved shoulder of the highway. "With the slick roads there was nothing else I could do."

Heavy damage

Teachey, who told investigators he was uninjured, lost control of the northbound truck, which flipped onto its side as it took out new guard rails just repaired Thursday and damaged both sides of the concrete bridge near Old Unionville Road before coming to rest on the bridge's north end.

The accident occurred about 7:10 a.m.

Traffic was routed around the area for much of the morning. Officials expected the bridge to be reopened later today.

Fuel and oil was splattered on the east side of the bridge and leaking from the tanks toward embankments on both sides of the road.

Fuel leak

The tanks bore an estimated 100 gallons of fuel, Teachey said. Bedford County Fire Department personnel quickly placed containment devices and said they hoped most of the fuel had been contained.

Teachey, a driver for MBM Trucking, said the truck was loaded with 15,000 pounds of frozen goods including, fish, hamburgers, lettuce and tomatoes bound for Hardee's and Captain D's restaurants.

Tennessee Department of Transportation personnel were inspecting the bridge this morning.

The east side, which absorbed the initial impact, received the most damage. Part of its concrete structure was destroyed.