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Damaged Bridge Leaves People Stranded

SHOHOLA TOWNSHIP — A bridge over the Delaware River in Pike County is more than a century-old and took a big hit when an out-of-control dump truck careene...

SHOHOLA TOWNSHIP -- A bridge over the Delaware River in Pike County is more than a century-old and took a big hit when an out-of-control dump truck careened across it.

The driver survived and now PennDOT has closed the bridge that's only way out for one small community.

That bridge is along Route 41 in Pond Eddy, New York.

The dump truck driver says he lost his brakes, then started a harrowing run down the steep hill, across a busy highway, and across the rickety bridge before he crashed.

The dump truck loaded with 35 tons of sand smashed into the side of a hill on the Pennsylvania side of the Pond Eddy bridge over the Delaware river.

Bill Baldwin, the driver, was able to walk away after the brakes failed, sending the truck down the hill at around 50 miles per hour, across Route 97, and across the rickety old bridge.

"I saw the truck come flying down the hill, go right through the intersection, and go over the bridge. As I saw him go over the bridge, the bridge was doing a wave kind of thing. Then he ran into the embankment wall of the mountain," said Jeff Chiocchi.

Baldwin was too shaken to talk about it, but says he knew if he swerved, he would have ended up in the river. The bridge saved him but because of its age, PennDOT has closed it until inspectors can look it over.

"He went airborne down here and we're really concerned about the area when he came onto the bridge, looks like probably a lot of damage down there," said PennDOT official James May.

The old bridge is slated for replacement next year and is supposed to hold no more than seven tons.

In this case, it was 35 tons of sand flying downhill without any brakes, just a driver hoping no school buses were in his way around 8 a.m. when it happened.

With the bridge closed for now, about two dozen families are stranded on the Pike County side in Pennsylvania. The bridge was their only way in and out. There are no other roads leading out of their community.

"This is a very, very big inconvenience," said resident Janie Dios. "I have a business in Port Jervis to open. I have customers relying on me. I can't get there."

Dios and her neighbors will have to walk the bridge to get out until it's declared safe again.

"That's got me very uptight. That's a disaster, a real disaster."

Officials say a wrecker was being brought in on railroad tracks to remove the truck, as was inspection equipment for PennDOT.

At this point, state officials say the bridge is closed until at least Thursday.

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