A ferry transporting a semi truck and track hoe across the Mississippi River was partially sunk Friday after the construction equipment shifted, sending the track hoe and part of the big rig into the river.
The incident happened on Friday, August 17th I St. Charles County, Missouri.
According to the US Coast Guard, a construction company was trying to unload the track hoe from the tractor trailer parked on the Grafton Ferry when things began to go wrong.
“The bottom of the trailer struck the ramp to the ferry barge,” said Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Dustin Duffie.
“The tractor-trailer driver hit the gas and caused the weight differential with the trailer and (that caused) the 60,000-pound excavator to shift the weight of the ferry and the tie came loose,” he continued.
The track hoe then went sinking into the river, leaving the back end of the trailer dangling in the water, reported Fox 2 St. Louis.
Five other cars were on board the barge at the time of the accident, but no one was hurt and the ferry only sustained damage to its gate.
“Nobody was hurt, it was one of those freak accidents,” said Spokesperson for Calhoun Ferry Company, Denise Knight.
“Several things happened in a row that was out of everyone’s control at that point and a series of events that led to a track hoe and trailer ending up in the river.”
Crews worked to pull the track hoe out of the river for hours, and were eventually able to remove it by Saturday afternoon.
