57Kviews
30 Sad Pics Of Trucks And Buses That Tried To Fit Under A Bridge And Regretted It Immediately
The Norfolk Southern–Gregson Street Overpass is commonly known as the 11-foot-8 Bridge and... The Can Opener. But more on that later. This railroad bridge in Durham, North Carolina, was built in 1940 and allows passenger and freight trains to cross over South Gregson Street in downtown Durham and like its first nickname suggests, its clearance for vehicles was 11 feet 8 inches (3.56 m). This was a standard height at the time it opened. But the standard clearance since 1973 has a minimum height of 14 feet (4.27 m).
Despite numerous warning signs yelling just how low the clearance of this bridge was, a large number of trucks, buses, and RVs have collided with the overpass at high speed, tearing off roof fixtures, and at times shearing off the trucks' roofs. That's what earned the bridge its second nickname, The Can Opener. Some people even call it the "Gregson Street Guillotine". In October 2019, the North Carolina Railroad Company, which owns the bridge and tracks, raised the bridge by 8 inches (0.2 m) to 12 feet 4 inches (3.76 m) to reduce collisions.
The bridge gained fame in 2008, when a nearby office worker, Jürgen Henn, set up cameras to track the collisions with the bridge. As of October 2020, Henn has recorded over 150 accidents, and has a YouTube channel to showcase them. His project even expanded to other Internet platforms. Thus, the subreddit r/11foot8 was born.
Eventually, however, the subreddit evolved—it now features vehicles colliding with structures all over the world. Here are some of its top posts.
This post may include affiliate links.
Separation Anxiety
Bored Panda got in touch with the moderators of the subreddit and Loonling was happy to share their thoughts. Since they have seen so many photos of drivers overestimating the clearance of a bridge, we asked why do they think this is. "My suspicion is that most of us are complacent in our day-to-day life," Loonling said. "The modern world is safe and secure. We go about our days assuming the stoplights are going to work; that the road will be relatively free of potholes; the bridge will support our vehicle. For many, it does not enter in their thoughts that a trestle is a threat."
Irony?
"Sure there's signage. Sure there's a flashing light. But, they're so wrapped up in the comfort and security of the modern road that they're not even really thinking about the fact that they're an exception to the rule. So, when the light flashes "oversize" (or whatever), while they may see it, it doesn't instantly seem applicable to them. How could it? They made it this far without incident. I think it's just a problem of the danger the bridge is to their situation just doesn't filter down to their monkey brain that's been lulled into complacency."
Thought This Fit Well Here
Since the subreddit has expanded and welcomes photos from all over the world now, it's only appropriate to mention a few infamous bridges that are opening some high-speed cans as well. The moderator said there's a huge number of them; they can't even keep track. The members of the subreddit keep finding them. "I think 2 other bridges are well known [in particular]. These two also have Reddit communities and an active fan club. r/3rdandWinklervsTrucks and r/thecanopener. 4 years ago, these two subs were larger than r/11foot8. But, I think they lack the 24/7 camera feed and the great marketing that Jurgen has put together for the [Durham bridge]."
New Mini Golf In Durham Honors It's Famous 11'8" Bridge
"In the fall of 2016, I noticed that r/11foot8 was not being actively moderated. At the time, there were fewer than 100 members. But, I knew of the bridge from the YouTube channel, and had been sharing the videos with my young children for a couple of years. They enjoyed the chaos and destruction as these huge trucks would crash into this immoveable bridge. It was great family entertainment for us. And as an avid collector of Reddit subscriptions, I keep a running list of subreddits I discover that are unmoderated or under-moderated. If I feel inclined, and the admins are kind enough to assign ownership to me, I jump in to rid the sub of spam, trolls, and try to build up a subreddit that represents the type of content I'd like to see. So, as I said, I took the sub over in September 2016 and at the time felt that a [community of 500 members] was probably achievable."
You See What Happens When You Rush To Be In Somebody Else's Business
Now, there are over 80,000 of them. From day 1 of Loonling's involvement, the subreddit has always welcomed similar bridges. And the moderator thinks maybe that's what has made it a bit more successful compared to the two others mentioned earlier. "I felt that relying exclusively on videos from the Durham bridge was too limiting."
"I hope our members feel a sense of community, but frankly, I don't think it's here," Loonling said. "People subscribe because of Jurgen. He does such a great job providing great videos, capturing the collision from the moments leading up to impact to the resolution. And getting it from two different angles!"
Hungry Bridge In Enid, Oklahoma
I Too Take The Top Off My Oreos Before I Eat Them
VW Crash
Delivering A Bridge
Gotta Get The Packages Onboard As Quickly As Possible!
What Makes It Funnier Is That This Isn’t Even The Route The Bus Is Meant To Take
Found On Street View
He Made It All The Way Through
U Are Stuck
To be fair, there was a sign that says that so he has no excuses
Meanwhile In Chicago
Pretty Effective Bridge Protection!
I Work For FedEx. One Of Our Trucks Came In Like This
When You Take The Bridge With
I Don’t Understand People. “Oh This Truck Is About To Hit That Sign, Let Me Just Continue Follow Him”
If The Bridge It Is Too Low, You Don't Have To Take It Slow. Lay The Truck Down On The Side, Underneath The Bridge You'll Slide
"If the bridge is TOO low", not "If the bridge is TO low". Doesn't anyone proofread s**t anymore?
11foot8 In Indianapolis. Truck Was Full Of Cream Cheese
I Fought The Bridge And The Bridge Won
Fail
I live nearby. This bus was full of participants in a golf outing, not kids, who apparently goaded the driver into trying to get through. It's a quaint covered bridge in a semi-quaint town and had only recently completed a major rebuild after another bonehead rammed it.
Square Peg In A Round Hole
The Biggest Oof I’ve Ever Seen!
This Low Overpass Knocked The Streetview Camera Off Its Mount
Scalped! A Whole Level Beyond Can Opener!
“No Pictures! Don’t Laugh!”
Well Known Can Opener In Kansas City, MO
Brand New Jeep
Note: this post originally had 66 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Part of the problem is "advisory overload" where we are constantly bombarded by warnings and cautionary signs that we simply stop seeing them, they are just part of the landscape. This is part of the reason mandates for reversing-beepers are being rescinded, nobody pays any attention to them anyway!
Load More Replies...You would think there'd be an app or something out there that would allow you to check your route for this sort of thing. You know a 'my truck 13 ft tall. Will it fit under all the over passes on my route?' kind of thing.
I'm getting ready to move across the country and this article made me consider that. Needless to say google didn't provide me any useful information on this subject so we'll just have to hope that there will be signs posted early enough to exit if need be.
Load More Replies...Back in 2014 someone was transporting 2 giraffe on a truck in northern SA. For some inexplicable reason the driver forgot that their heads were several feet above the height of the truck, and merrily drove under a bridge, instantly killing the one. How it was not beheaded, and that the other survived, I do not know.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55091077 This happened last year, bus driver has now been charged.
i'm feeling a bit unsecure about riding the topdeck of a bus now. In citybusses you can choose but some long distance companies like Flixbus you're normally all seated upstairs O_O
This reminds me of the over pass in the corner area of Charlottesville Va, it took the roof off many an RV driven by someone's parents coming to visit them at UVA. There was even an alarm set up to try and alert the driver, but all it really did was cause them to look around all confused at why people are pouring out of shops and staring at them. Good times.
Okay, so once my family were in france and managed to get the motorhome stuck like this because we just too wide and just too tall. Lucky it was a motorhome so we just started having lunch until we could be freed.
I years back a friend of mine went to work in the US as a trucker. Being used to the metric system he miscalculated and hit a bridge and got real stuck. By the time the cops came he'd explained it about a dozen times so when to cop was like "so hit the bridge huh?" My friend said "no I was delivering the bridge and I ran outta gas!" 😂. Apparently it didn't go down well with the cop
In Ireland there are signs on our bridges that state if you hit them to call a number and give the bridge ID...
This happens a lot in Boston, where we have taken to calling it "Storrowing," after the fact that the majority of these crashes happen on Storrow Drive, usually involving U-Haul or other moving trucks driven by incoming college freshmen. They are completely unaware of the height of their rented trucks, and are using GPS directions designed for cars...not trucks. Yes, we laugh at them if nobody gets hurt, but when there are injuries, nobody is lauging. There's usually a call for better signage, better education, or some sort of mock toll booth setup to prevent trucks and busses from turning on to Storrow Drive at all. Nothing practical has happened yet.
Maybe interesting, but not at all funny. It’s not the drivers’ fault the bridges/overpasses are too low.
There are supposed to be people in an office planning the route and checking all the clearances before the truck leaves the yard. Or have they quit doing that? Either way, somebody lost their job.
I AGREE W/YOU ENGINEER I took off the down vote on your comment! As you will see I got a down vote as well!
Here's a related video i had lying around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcqfa_uj2hA
We have a bridge locally that is called "the shredder". Clearance? Eight feet, six inches. (Not even three meters.) And people still still still go... speeding along like it'll be just fine. Youc an tell non-locals by who gets stuck there, basically.
We were visiting Boston. Lots of picturesque low bridges, all with lots of warnings. We saw a truck wedged under one our only day there. What are the chances!
Must have been on Storrow Drive in Boston. Happens so often, especially when collage students are moving in that we call it, "getting Storrowed". 0831_storr...ebb8c6.jpg
Load More Replies...How come so many 18 wheelers are on here. Long haul truckers pay for professional Garmin GPS units which have warnings for too short underpasses and tunnels. It costs 200-400 a month
Unless you're one of the companies that hires steering-wheel holders and gives them a consumer-grade unit and won't install a CB either. I've seen many winter accidents with trucks that could have easily been prevented by a heads-up from someone a mile or two up the road. They may seem obsolete to management, but they're essential equipment as far as I am concerned.
Load More Replies...Honestly, if these drivers just keep their heads (or in this case, trucks) down a bit, there wouldn't be pics like these.
THIS TYPE OF THING SO VERY INFURIATING! I BET THEY CLAIM THEIRDOG ATE THEIR HOMEWORK! Oh and when they sre out doing the driving part of their instructions WHY are they not informed about what that truck can and can not do?!BOY I BET THAT COST THE SCHOOL A VERY PRETTY PENNY TO GET THAT MESS STRAIGHTENED OUT! Thank You for the pics.
Part of the problem is "advisory overload" where we are constantly bombarded by warnings and cautionary signs that we simply stop seeing them, they are just part of the landscape. This is part of the reason mandates for reversing-beepers are being rescinded, nobody pays any attention to them anyway!
Load More Replies...You would think there'd be an app or something out there that would allow you to check your route for this sort of thing. You know a 'my truck 13 ft tall. Will it fit under all the over passes on my route?' kind of thing.
I'm getting ready to move across the country and this article made me consider that. Needless to say google didn't provide me any useful information on this subject so we'll just have to hope that there will be signs posted early enough to exit if need be.
Load More Replies...Back in 2014 someone was transporting 2 giraffe on a truck in northern SA. For some inexplicable reason the driver forgot that their heads were several feet above the height of the truck, and merrily drove under a bridge, instantly killing the one. How it was not beheaded, and that the other survived, I do not know.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55091077 This happened last year, bus driver has now been charged.
i'm feeling a bit unsecure about riding the topdeck of a bus now. In citybusses you can choose but some long distance companies like Flixbus you're normally all seated upstairs O_O
This reminds me of the over pass in the corner area of Charlottesville Va, it took the roof off many an RV driven by someone's parents coming to visit them at UVA. There was even an alarm set up to try and alert the driver, but all it really did was cause them to look around all confused at why people are pouring out of shops and staring at them. Good times.
Okay, so once my family were in france and managed to get the motorhome stuck like this because we just too wide and just too tall. Lucky it was a motorhome so we just started having lunch until we could be freed.
I years back a friend of mine went to work in the US as a trucker. Being used to the metric system he miscalculated and hit a bridge and got real stuck. By the time the cops came he'd explained it about a dozen times so when to cop was like "so hit the bridge huh?" My friend said "no I was delivering the bridge and I ran outta gas!" 😂. Apparently it didn't go down well with the cop
In Ireland there are signs on our bridges that state if you hit them to call a number and give the bridge ID...
This happens a lot in Boston, where we have taken to calling it "Storrowing," after the fact that the majority of these crashes happen on Storrow Drive, usually involving U-Haul or other moving trucks driven by incoming college freshmen. They are completely unaware of the height of their rented trucks, and are using GPS directions designed for cars...not trucks. Yes, we laugh at them if nobody gets hurt, but when there are injuries, nobody is lauging. There's usually a call for better signage, better education, or some sort of mock toll booth setup to prevent trucks and busses from turning on to Storrow Drive at all. Nothing practical has happened yet.
Maybe interesting, but not at all funny. It’s not the drivers’ fault the bridges/overpasses are too low.
There are supposed to be people in an office planning the route and checking all the clearances before the truck leaves the yard. Or have they quit doing that? Either way, somebody lost their job.
I AGREE W/YOU ENGINEER I took off the down vote on your comment! As you will see I got a down vote as well!
Here's a related video i had lying around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcqfa_uj2hA
We have a bridge locally that is called "the shredder". Clearance? Eight feet, six inches. (Not even three meters.) And people still still still go... speeding along like it'll be just fine. Youc an tell non-locals by who gets stuck there, basically.
We were visiting Boston. Lots of picturesque low bridges, all with lots of warnings. We saw a truck wedged under one our only day there. What are the chances!
Must have been on Storrow Drive in Boston. Happens so often, especially when collage students are moving in that we call it, "getting Storrowed". 0831_storr...ebb8c6.jpg
Load More Replies...How come so many 18 wheelers are on here. Long haul truckers pay for professional Garmin GPS units which have warnings for too short underpasses and tunnels. It costs 200-400 a month
Unless you're one of the companies that hires steering-wheel holders and gives them a consumer-grade unit and won't install a CB either. I've seen many winter accidents with trucks that could have easily been prevented by a heads-up from someone a mile or two up the road. They may seem obsolete to management, but they're essential equipment as far as I am concerned.
Load More Replies...Honestly, if these drivers just keep their heads (or in this case, trucks) down a bit, there wouldn't be pics like these.
THIS TYPE OF THING SO VERY INFURIATING! I BET THEY CLAIM THEIRDOG ATE THEIR HOMEWORK! Oh and when they sre out doing the driving part of their instructions WHY are they not informed about what that truck can and can not do?!BOY I BET THAT COST THE SCHOOL A VERY PRETTY PENNY TO GET THAT MESS STRAIGHTENED OUT! Thank You for the pics.