‘Undefeated’: Independence Avenue bridge in Kansas City claims garbage truck Thursday

Aarón Torres
·1 min read
12
A garbage truck struck the Independence Avenue bridge Thursday, causing it to become wedged under the overpass. The driver of the truck was not injured.

The Independence Avenue bridge trashed a trash truck Thursday in yet another showdown between vehicles and the notorious Kansas City overpass.

A Facebook post from the Kansas City Fire Department’s station located near the bridge at Independence and Wilson avenues showed a blue garbage truck wedged under the bridge.

The City of Lawrence truck driver did not suffer any injuries. The same could not be said for the truck.

Pictures showed the vehicle tilted sideways with its wheels in the air, mangled metal and the front windshield discarded on the ground.

“Annnnnnnnd.......STILLLLL.....undefeated!” the Facebook post from Station 23 joked.

This is far from the first time the Independence Avenue Bridge has declared victory against a truck. Despite several warning signs leading up to the 12-foot clearance, police and other authorities have responded to the bridge many times.

On Jan. 12, the Kansas City Police Department posted a video on Twitter showing the bridge shaving off the top of a truck in an unsuccessful attempt at getting through the tunnel. A couple weeks later, it took out another truck, sending it tumbling to its side.

On March 9, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas shared a photo on social media of a Penske truck unable to clear the bridge.

The Kansas City Terminal Railway Company, which owns the bridge, frequently sends engineers to inspect the structure after a collision.

Crashes with the bridge, which has blinking lights and signs alerting drivers, are so infamous that there is a Facebook page dedicated to documenting the run-ins. The page proudly proclaims: “I have been feasting on your human concoctions for decades. Your wheeled steel boxes are quite delicious. Please feed me more!”