Big-rig plummets off San Francisco bridge

The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — A trucker is dead after his big rig plummeted 200 feet off the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge early Monday and smashed onto an island below.

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Noah Berger, AP The crumpled remains of a big rig lie beneath the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, in San Francisco, following an early morning crash. The truck's driver died after losing control on the bridge's temporary S-curve and crashing to the ground several hundred feet below. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

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Noah Berger, AP A sign warns motorists of an accident and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. A truck driver died earlier in the morning after he lost control on the bridge's temporary S-curve and crashed to the ground several hundred feet below. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

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California Highway Patrol Sgt. Trent Cross says the driver of a rig hauling produce lost control on the westbound bridge's troublesome S-curve at about 3:30 a.m. The rig went over the side and landed on Yerba Buena Island.

The trucker died on impact.

There have been more than 42 crashes in the bridge's S-curve area since it opened Sept. 8. Cross says speed is the cause.

The speed limit was lowered from 50 to 40 mph. Flashing lights warn drivers of the sudden curve ahead.

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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle

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November 09, 2009 11:30 AM EST

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