Truck Accident Damages Rail Bridge; Closes Botsford Hill Road For 21 Hours

By Andrew Gorosko

A trucker smashed into the low-clearance Botsford Hill Road railroad bridge on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 30, seriously damaging the aging span and causing a heavily used section of Botsford Hill Road to close to traffic for 21 hours as a safety precaution.

On the following day, the Housatonic Railroad tested the span’s safety by driving a loaded train over the bridge, which carries the railroad’s main line. Following the test, police reopened the closed Botsford Hill Road section at 1:30 pm.

Police Lieutenant George Sinko said the railroad wants to make some repairs to the damaged bridge on Saturday, October 4. Consequently, the section of Botsford Hill Road between its intersections with Swamp Road and High Bridge Road will be closed to traffic from 8 am to 4 pm on October 4.

It was that section of roadway that was closed to traffic from about 4:30 pm September 30 to 1:30 pm October 1, while the railroad checked the bridge for steel and concrete damage.

The impact of the trucker’s cargo caused a steel girder on the aging rail bridge to laterally deflect about one foot. That damage posed the risk of large concrete fragments falling down onto Botsford Hill Road from the bridge’s deck, so the road section was closed to traffic until the bridge could be inspected.

Lt Sinko said police received many calls from motorists about the Botsford Hill Road closure, expressing frustration about the situation. Although the road section that was closed is only about 150 yards long, that road section road is a key link between Route 34 in Sandy Hook and Route 25 in Botsford.

To prevent traffic in the affected area, police set up roadblocks and created detours. Police were positioned at the two intersections.

At about 1:18 pm September 30, trucker Kevin Samoskevich, 35, of Shelton was driving his 1972 Mack heavy dump truck southward on Botsford Hill Road. The truck hauled a flatbed trailer, which carried a large Link-Belt excavating machine on it, police said.

Samoskevich attempted to travel beneath the railroad bridge, which is clearly posted with low-clearance warning signs, indicating an 11-foot, 6-inch bridge clearance, police said.

As the trailer passed beneath the span, the arm of the excavating machine struck a bridge girder, extensively damaging the bridge, police said.

 On arriving, police found the vehicle pulled away from the bridge. The impact had caused a hydraulic line on the excavator to break, resulting in slick hydraulic fluid spewing across the roadway.

The spilled fluid, which was spread by passing vehicles, caused extremely slippery conditions in that area. A town sanding truck spread sand on the spilled fluid to improve traction. Botsford firefighters went to the accident. Samoskevich was not injured.

About three hours after the accident, police decided to close the section of Botsford Hill Road to traffic in view of concrete decking possibly falling from the damaged bridge.

 Police said Samoskevich violated state law concerning low-clearance bridges, as well as numerous other state laws concerning trucking. Police impounded the truck and trailer. Newtown police and the state police truck squad investigated.

Police said Samoskevich was driving a commercial vehicle without a commercial driver’s license; failed to have a medical card; failed to have a state fuel tax stamp; was driving an unregistered vehicle; was towing an unregistered trailer; failed to obey state traffic control signs and markings; failed to have an annual federal inspection for a commercial truck and a commercial trailer; was driving with unsafe tires; failed to carry a fire extinguisher; and was driving with inoperative brake lines.

The fines for those violations total $919.

Police also issued Samoskevich a misdemeanor summons for driving a motor vehicle without automotive insurance. Samoskevich is scheduled to be arraigned on that charge in Danbury Superior Court on October 14.