The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is suing an Alabama trucking company after one of the carrier’s trucks struck a bridge in 2021, causing “substantial damage.”
The agency filed suit Friday against Dove Transportation, which is based in Lincoln, Alabama, about 45 miles from Birmingham. The incident occurred on July 19, 2021, when driver Curtis Henry hit a bridge in Medford, Massachusetts, on I-93.
The truck was transporting a metal tank when Henry drove the vehicle under an overpass of Roosevelt Circle, according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. The tank struck the side of the bridge and “caused substantial damage to the support beams of the bridge.”
The truck and trailer exceeded the height limit for the bridge, according to the suit.
“To date, MassDOT has not been reimbursed for the damage caused by the truck,” a spokesperson told FreightWaves. “MassDOT will continue to pursue cost recovery from Dove Transportation and its insurance carrier. In the meantime, the lawsuit was filed to preserve and protect MassDOT’s interests in recovering all monies owed as a result of this damage.”
Dove had a permit from the department to operate the truck on certain roadways, but not I-93. The permit also required the driver to avoid bridges without the appropriate clearance, the lawsuit says.
A representative of Dove Transportation declined to comment on the suit. The company has eight drivers and eight power units, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website.
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