Isaias’ Verrazzano wrath comes into focus: 5 trucks flipped during storm

isaias truck accidents

Five trucks overturned on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge as a result of winds from Tropical Storm Isaias.Photo Courtesy Superior Officers Benevolent Association

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In a dangerous scene, five trucks flipped over on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge Tuesday as Tropical Storm Isaias’ fierce winds whipped Staten Island -- including four that fell just minutes after the order to close the bridge was issued, documents show.

According to the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), once the order to close the bridge due to the weather was given, the span was successfully shut within 17 minutes.

However within that time period, four trucks that were on the bridge flipped over.

One truck had flipped prior to the criteria for bridge closure was met.

It marked the first time the Verrazzano was closed entirely due to winds in nearly eight years -- the last time being when Hurricane Sandy unleashed its wrath on the city in 2012.

In order for the Verrazzano to be completely shuttered, sustained winds must reach 60 mph, officials said.

A LOOK AT THE INCIDENTS

According to an internal TBTA document obtained by the Advance/SILive.com, at 12:38 p.m. strong wind gusts caused an upper-level, Brooklyn-bound box truck to flip. The vehicle leaked gasoline onto the roadway.

Once the bridge was ordered closed at 1:02 p.m., emergency personnel began to clear the span of any remaining traffic.

At 1:09 p.m., a five-axle truck flipped over on the Brooklyn-bound lower level, the TBTA document indicates. One minute later, at 1:10 p.m., the TBTA received reports of another five-axle truck that flipped over traveling Brooklyn-bound on the upper level.

Minutes later, at 1:18 p.m., a large five-axle truck was described as “teetering over the rail” of the lower-level New Jersey-bound side of the bridge.

According to the report, the final incident occurred at 1:27 p.m. when, once again, a five-axle truck overturned on the upper-level, Brooklyn-bound side of the bridge. While being towed off of the span, the truck caught fire between the Belt Parkway and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which then had to be extinguished by FDNY personnel.

‘PROACTIVE STEPS'

TBTA officials took what they called “proactive” steps to assure that there was as little danger as possible to motorists.

On Tuesday morning, prior to the arrival of Isaias, officials barred empty tractor-trailers as well as tandem trailers from crossing the bridge.

Closing bridges isn’t a breeze -- the TBTA aims to be able to clear bridges of all traffic within 15 minutes of the order. During the storm it took 17 minutes due to existing incidents that blocked traffic and had to be cleared, officials said.

Once a storm is over, bridge engineers and maintenance personnel must conduct lengthy inspections on the bridge to determine whether the structural integrity of the bridge was compromised.

Despite the additional time it took to completely stop the flow of traffic on the bridge, TBTA President Daniel F. DeCrescenzo, Jr. said he was proud of the work that was done to ensure the safety and well-being of commuters.

“I’m proud of the work we all did to keep everything and everyone safe during the storm. I’m also proud of what we accomplished, we were able to have multiple agencies work together and we were able to clear the bridge once the order was given and once the storm ended we were able to properly and quickly inspect the bridge to ensure there was no structural damage and we were able to reopen within two to three hours,” said DeCrescenzo.

However, Christina Lampropoulos, who represents TBTA sergeants and lieutenants as the president of the Superior Officers Benevolent Association, disagrees and feels that the accidents that occurred on the bridge could’ve been avoided if more TBTA officers were on duty.

“We don’t have the man power anymore, we have had reductions in the amount of TBTA officers and supervisors on duty, it makes it so much harder to close the bridge. In the old days we would’ve been able to clear and close (the bridge) within five minutes. We would’ve had personnel at every ramp and at certain locations, once they got the word they would’ve cleared the bridge quickly and dealt with any existing situations. Since we didn’t have enough people, that’s why cars were still on the bridge after the orders were given to close.”

Isaias Truck Flip

Five trucks overturned on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge as a result of winds from Tropical Storm Isaias.(Photo Courtesy Superior Officers Benevolent Association)

Lampropoulos believes that personnel from other agencies aren’t properly trained to efficiently handle incidents on bridges -- especially during emergencies such as tropical storms.

“Ever since the toll plazas were removed they thought that they would be able to get by without having as many TBTA supervisors and officers around and due to COVID there were even less around. It was a way for them to save money and we were the ones that suffered. You can’t throw a bunch of people together that don’t usually work on bridges and expect them to work as efficiently as us. Other agencies don’t handle the bridges like us. This is what we are trained to do. We are the specialists,” added Lampropoulos.

According to officials at the TBTA, interagency trainings have occurred since 2017 with the New York National Guard and State Troopers. Interagency drills are also performed regularly to keep everyone that works on the bridges sharp.

The Superior Officers Benevolent Association and TBTA hasn’t reached a deal on a contract since 2012.

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