Police seek to charge driver after crane accident on Rt. 6 in Dennis

DENNIS, Mass. — After a crane riding on a tractor-trailer hit a bridge in Dennis on Friday, State Police said they will charge the driver.

The 41-year-old Brockton man will face charges of operating to endanger, operating after license suspension, and an over-height violation.

Around 6 p.m. on Friday, police said the driver was pulling a trailer on Route 6 carrying a hydraulic lift that was too high to pass underneath the Old Bass River Road bridge. The impact of the lift striking the bridge caused chunks of concrete to fall.

The concrete debris smashed the hood and windshield of a passing Mazda car, seriously hurting a 55-year-old Brewster woman and causing the driver, a 56-year-old Brewster man, minor injuries. Both were taken to Cape Cod Hospital.

The truck driver wasn't hurt.

Route 6 has since reopened, but the Old Bass River Road overpass remains closed, according to State Police.

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State Police said one of the victims had to be removed from the car with the Jaws of Life.

MassDOT had bridge inspection crews on scene to assess the full damage to the bridge, which had at least two beams severed. The department announced that the bridge will remain closed for, "at least several days," while crews will continue assessing the damage to the bridge on Sunday.

Because of Sunday's planned assessment, the right travel lane on Route 6 West will be closed near the bridge, along with the exit ramp from Route 134 South to Route 6 West. MassDOT anticipates that the bridge will remain closed until at least the middle of next week.

TRAFFIC REROUTES, according to the Dennis Police Department:

• Traffic on Old Bass River Road southbound is being detoured onto Bob Crowell Road, to Route 134.
• Residents of the neighborhoods south of Bob Crowell Road, which are to the west of Old Bass River Road, may utilize Lief Ericson Drive to Vinland Drive as a means of access.
• Motorists who need to access the Dennis Water District office may use Lief Ericson Drive to Vinland Drive as a route of access.
• Motorists traveling northbound on Old Bass River Road from the Main Street/Highbank Road area are urged to detour to Route 134 as an alternate route.
• Residents who live just south of Olde Dennis Approach and people who want to access the Red Cottage restaurant will be able to do so.

Cox Media Group