Concrete Chunk From NJ TRANSIT Overpass Crashes Onto Woman's Car On Busy Highway
MONTVILLE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Concrete fell onto a woman's car on a busy New Jersey highway, causing thousands of dollars' worth of damage.
Luckily she wasn't injured, but she worries an even larger piece could fall and kill someone next time.
The woman says she's travelled I-287 hundreds of times before the terrifying ordeal, but never considered a chunk of concrete could come loose from an NJ TRANSIT overpass and crash down in front of her SUV.
"It made a loud bang, a thump like something smashed," the woman, who wished to not be identified due to her job, said. "It was very scary."
The sensor on her dashcam picked up the impact, which caused an estimated $4,000 in damage to the Jeep she bought only three months ago.
Still, she considers herself lucky.
"If it would have hit the windshield it would not have been a good outcome," the woman said. "It could have been fatal."
She says she called NJ TRANSIT the next day, but the agency has no record of her complaint. CBS2 followed up on her behalf, and they did finally get in touch with her.
They told the woman to file a formal claim. She still has to drive under the overpass at least once or twice a week, and she says every time she does so she's holding her breath wondering if it could happen again.
"If one piece fell off that, that makes me think there will be other items that fall off eventually that could kill someone," the woman said.
CBS2 called NJ TRANSIT back, and asked them if they planned on sending anyone to check the integrity of the overpass to make sure that wouldn't happen again. In response, a spokesperson said every one of its bridges and overpasses undergo regular safety inspections, adding "as soon as we get her notice of claim we'll investigate every aspect of this."
The driver promises she won't delay doing so on her end, in hopes it'll keep what happened to her from happening to someone else with even worse consequences.
