A semi truck found itself wedged against a two-story building after attempting to make a tight turn yesterday.
It happened in Warrenton, Virginia at approximately 2 p.m. on Culpeper Street and West Lee Street on Tuesday, May 31st.
Jeff Verheek was driving his big rig north on Culpeper St. when he attempted a right turn onto West Lee St.
According to Faquier Now, upon attempting the turn, the 53-foot semi truck scraped the side of the two-story historic Blackwell building and was caught on a concrete and steel bollard on the sidewalk.
Verheek was not injured and both the truck and building suffered minimal damage.
“GPS directed me” Verheek explained.
“I came around the corner, and it just got tighter and tighter,” he said.
Verheek had passed his destination, The Bridge Community Church, by accident earlier in the day. He was delivering furniture to the newly built church.
It took the wrecker crew an hour and a half to unstick the tractor trailer from the bollard and move it away from the building.
This is “why we had the [bollard] added years ago,” said owner of the building Adrienne Stone to the Faquier Times.
”People were hitting it. We were afraid we were going to die when we walked out the door.”
Police blocked the intersection for about two hours to accommodate cleanup.
“I think they should have given me the opportunity to back it up,” said Verheek.
“I could’ve backed it up. I could’ve backed it right out,” he continued.
“Instead, I get a wrecker fee of five grand or whatever and six points on my license or whatever for reckless driving,” Verheek lamented.
Verheek was charged with reckless driving and must appear in Fauquier General District Court on July 14th.
Verheek has been a truck driver for five years.
