Crime & Safety

Truck Strikes Bridge; 3,000 Pounds of Seafood Condemned

The driver walks away with minor injuries.

Around 5 p.m. today, Jeff Leach misjudged the height of the Amtrak bridge on Montowese Street and slammed into the overpass, sending his truck carrying live seafood on its side.

While Leach sustained minor injuries to his left arm, a worse fate was determined for the 300 pounds of live lobsters and thousands of clams he was carting.

Insulation and oil from the truck's refrigerator condenser contaminated the food, according to Michael Parisi, sanitarian for the East Shore District Health Department. As such, the seafood was condemned.

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Parisi stayed on scene after the truck was up-righted to properly dispose of the lot through health department mandated procedures.

Leach's trip began in Maine at The Lobster Company. He was headed to in Branford to deliver a load of clams.  

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Market owner Hal Beckley was in good spirits despite losing his delivery of 75 bushels of clams (3,750 pounds). “There’s another load coming tomorrow morning," he said, adding that he’s well stocked for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.

Leach was also carrying a delivery for three other clients, including Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk. There was no mention if those customers will also be receiving back-up deliveries.

Leach, a U.S. Army veteran who toured one year in Iraq and served for 23 years, has been delivering fish for The Lobster Company for seven years but has never made the delivery to Bud’s.

Without prior knowledge of the road, he said he had no clue what was happening when his 11-foot, six-inch truck did not clear the 9-foot, six-inch bridge. There are signs that clearly state the height of the bridge as well as a digital "Over Height" warning sign for those in violation of the low clearance.

During the clean-up, Amtrak Police were on scene and kept pedestrians from jogging and walking under the bridge. Though several trains passed over the bridge at reduced speeds, service was not suspended.

An electric line was visibly damaged on the face of the bridge, but it was determined that the lines were still functioning.

and managed the scene. They closed Montowese Street for about two hours while United Tire Incorporated wrecking crew sunk their claws into the truck to clean-up the mess.

Dave Pandolfi and his son Matt Pandolfi of the towing company said they had seen this accident many times before. On Saturday, June 18, they cleared a spill when a U-Haul ran into the bridge.

Tempted to snag a stray lobster, the guys said this mess was almost as good as the week before when they cleared a wrecked beer truck.

Lt. Nick Dykun of Company 9, who was overseeing the accident scene with Branford Fire Department Deputy Chief Bill Pepe, said he has seen at least five similar accidents at the Amtrak bridge on Montowese Street.

The accidents happen so often, said Beckley of Bud’s Fish Market, that he had his own truck built short enough to pass under the bridge.

“Before I bought the truck,” Beckley said, “I made the guy [dealer] drive under it.”


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