Four trucks were trapped across the state

Milford, Conn. (WTNH) - Four tractor trailers became wedged under bridges and overpasses in four different cities on Wednesday.

Commuters in Milford, Westbrook, Stamford, and Danbury snapped Report It pictures of the accidents while they waited in congested traffic.

The first incident happened in Milford around 6:20 a.m. when a truck failed to fit under a Metro North overpass at Old Gate Lane. The incident closed the road to through traffic for several hours.

A driver-in-training was behind the wheel of the 18 wheeler. Even though an instructor was in the truck, the duo failed to notice the low clearance and they were soon stuck.

Kevin Nursick of the Connecticut Department of Transportation says the bridges are marked according to federal guidelines.

"We will post the height of those bridges on the structures and before the structures," said Nursick.

The legal height for trucks in CT is 13'6". However, the bridge in Milford is a full foot lower.

"But some low bridges, the sign is too close to the bridge," said truck driver Silas Guimaras, "when we get there it's too late already."

Guimaras says CT can be tricky and he wasn't surprised by Wednesday's accidents.

"No, not really, especially in Connecticut," Guimaras said, "too many low bridges and no sign is good."

Nearby business owner Tom Bogardus says this isn't the first time this has happened.

"Yeah, I've seen it many a times," he said. "It seem like it happens once a month."

"It's because people aren't from around here. They don't know that the only over pass that goes over the railroad is down the road," said Kent Oppel. "Many trucks are too high and they hit the bridge."

At the intersection of New Haven Avenue there are no signs warning drivers of the overpass and restricted height, so when vehicles turn, they don't see a sign until it's too late.

Train service was not impacted by the incident.

The second truck was trapped on Pond Meadow Road in Westbrook when a truck became lodged under an overpass around 6:40 a.m.

The third incident happened around 9:00 a.m. when a tractor trailer hauling mattresses became wedged under the West Street Bridge in Danbury, according to the Danbury News-Times.

The fourth occurred Stamford on Atlantic Avenue on Wednesday afternoon, according to a Report It submission.

The problem is many truckers blindly follow their GPS, even if it does not have settings for bridges. Guimaras says his company requires that he have a GPS made specifically for trucks that includes the overhead clearance setting.

However, there are still many drivers who say the truck GPS is too expensive, and they simply watch the signs and use common sense.

"Yeah, they go by luck because it's a very expensive one, like 600, 700 dollars for the truck one," said Guimaras.

While the bridges rarely sustain damage in these accidents, the trucks are another story with the tops getting sheared off like a sardine can.

While there were four of these accidents in one day, the DOT says there are usually only about 100 per year.

"I wouldn't say that we have a rash of these incidents occurring or that they've been occurring more recently," said Nursick. "I think this was clearly a fluke that occurred today."

No injuries were reported in any of these incident.