The Pierre Bridge Wins Again

There is a saying that talks about repetition and insanity. Ah, I remember. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Well, here we go again with that Pierre train bridge that is too low to accommodate modern semi-trailers. I like to call it the Pierre Can Opener because of how the iron bridge can slice open the top of a semi-trailer like it's a soup can.

The infamous bridge even has its own Facebook group. They have more pics and videos on this latest challenge. The is certainly not the first time the decades-old bridge has been challenged. Dakota News Now says last year the bridge claimed three trailers in 24 hours!

Dakota News Now has the story about another brave truck driver who tried to win a battle of wits with the Pierre Can Opener and as you can see by the pic, the driver lost.

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As the pic shows, the trailer suffered significant damage as did the driver's ego. A damage estimate hasn't been released and I no expert, but it looks like it's going to be very expensive.

Police have said that some navigation systems want to guide drivers under the bridge and before they know it the trailer gets stuck. It's not like there are huge yellow signs and flashing lights warning drivers of the low bridge. Oh, wait, yes there are signs.

The 114-year-old iron bridge has a height of 11"3' and is from a time when trailers sat much lower than today. The US Department of Transportation surprisingly doesn't have standardized rules on trailer height, but today's bridges are built high enough to accommodate a modern trailer's height of around 14 feet.

All of this to say that the Pierre Can Opener remains undefeated. Next challenger?