Snooper truck overturns on I-84 on-ramp, crushes bridge inspector in Connecticut

Updated Sep 4, 2015
The snooper truck that killed a bridge inspector in Connecticut hangs over the Interstate 84 on-ramp. (Screenshot from NBC Connecticut)The snooper truck that killed a bridge inspector in Connecticut hangs over the Interstate 84 on-ramp.
(Screenshot from NBC Connecticut)

A bridge inspector for the Connecticut Department of Transportation died Wednesday after his snooper truck tipped over on an interstate on-ramp and crushed him.

According to NBC Connecticut, William Shook was standing between the truck and the bridge railing as he retracted the truck’s arm and bucket when the truck began to tip. The 31-ton truck land on and crushed the 43-year-old.

When emergency crews arrived, the on-ramp of Interstate 84 was shut down as the truck dangled upside down over the edge of the on-ramp bridge. The bridge was still closed Thursday while equipment to remove the truck was being delivered from Virginia. Occupational Health and Safety inspectors were on the scene, along with hazmat crews to survey the damage.

Shook was working for Virginia subcontractor McClain and Company. But his truck wasn’t the only McClain and Company truck to be involved in accident within the the 24 hours prior to Shook’s death. NBC Connecticut reported that firefighters had to rescue another bridge inspector from the company on Tuesday after the bucket in his snooper truck was stuck hanging over the side of a different bridge. The subsequent accidents were enough to get ConnDOT to suspend all services with the company.

“They’re going to have to do the investigation to find out what went wrong. Two incidents in two days; I guess the prudent thing would be to suspend them until you find out exactly what happened,” West Hartford Asst. Fire Chief Richard Winn said.