A DELIVERY driver has described the heart-stopping moment he watched a 40-tonne HGV topple after it was hit by a 75mph gust on Scotland’s busiest bridge.
Scott Rorrison, from Gladsmuir, East Lothian, was behind the truck when it crashed and crossed into the opposite lane of the Forth Road Bridge.
The accident at 2am today completely closed the bridge in both directions for several hours and caused widespread travel chaos.
Scott, 45, was on his way to Aberdeen when the drama happened. He dialed 999 and photographed the immediate aftermath of the incident.
He said: ” I was driving behind and it started to tip and sway. It was swaying quite a bit and then it went over the central reservation on to the other side.”
“The bridge was actually rippling in the wind. I didn’t speak with the driver since he was across the reservation, but I saw he was standing up in his cab.
“I saw it was going over and the boy driving behind me stopped.
“My heart was beating very fast for a long time after. I got off the bridge as quick as I could.”
The driver of the Currie European lorry escaped with light cuts and bruising.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “A 54-year-old man has been charged following a collision on the Forth Road Bridge at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday 11th January. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
Rush-hour commuters facedchaos this morning with long diversions via Kincardine Bridge.
The HGV was blown from the northbound carriageway onto the southbound side and has caused extensive damage to the central reservation.
A spokesman for Currie European, a logistics company based across Europe with offices in Dumfries, Dumfires and Galloway, said: “Our first and foremost concern is for our driver who is thankfully ok. There is an on-going police investigation and we won’t be making any further comment until that is over.”
Mark Arndt, Amey’s Operating Company Representative for the Forth Road Bridge said warning signs that the bridge was shut to high-sided vehicles were on at the time of the accident.
He said: “We’re managing an incident involving an overturned HGV. The bridge is closed in both directions and we are doing everything we can to reopen the route as soon as possible.
“It’s most likely that we’ll be able to reopen one lane of the northbound carriageway later today however we will need a crane to remove the HGV from the southbound carriageway, and this work is highly dependent on the prevailing wind speeds.”
Progress to remove the overturned lorry is currently hampered as strong winds are preventing the crane from operating.
