Vermont State Police Wednesday afternoon responded to an unusual crash on Cottage Street in Bradford.
Authorities say Christopher Shorey, 70, of South Paris, Maine, drove his 2018 Volvo S90 down a walking trail and attempted to cross a narrow wooden footbridge near Wrights Avenue. The structure collapsed under the vehicle’s weight, leaving it partially hanging off the edge.
Shorey was assisted from the vehicle by the Bradford Fire Department and transported by Upper Valley Ambulance to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for precautionary evaluation. No injuries were reported.
Troopers observed signs of impairment, and Shorey reportedly admitted to drinking. He was cited to appear in Orange County Criminal Court on charges of DUI and Negligent Operation.
Maine-iac drives Volvo onto footbridge, charged with DUI Located on private land, it connects the Bradford Elementary School playground with Cottage Street, located at the end of North Pleasant Street.
The man appeared to have driven beyond the end of Cottage Street into the woods and onto a short, but wide trail that curves down a slope along the brook.
Read on for background on this relatively little-known pedestrian bridge in Bradford.
The bridge, which spans Hardy Brook, has been replaced twice in the last quarter century. The first was around 2000 by Matt Bigl for an Eagle Scout project. Its predecessor consisted of flimsy metal supports with a plank used for decking.
“Bigl fashioned big hemlock beams from trees he cut on his own property, had some hemlock decking sawed, and built a new structure with railings and a solid foundation on concrete abutments,” the JO reported eight years ago.
It lasted until 2017 when the elements had taken their toll. More from the JO:
“Local excavator Jason Fornwalt donated two steel girders to support the new structure, and Fornwalt employees brought in heavy equipment to remove the old bridge, adjust the abutments for the new beams, and build up the approaches with Staymat.
“With the beams and foundation in place, Fred Tougas, head custodian at BES and his two associates, Al Murtaugh and Joe Jacobs, tackled the carpentry work. The bridge now has almost a complete deck, and the railings are next.”
Yesterday’s collision caused “extensive damage” to the footbridge.