Tractor Trailer Slams into Overpass
on Thruway in Rockland County
SOUTH NYACK, NY—Just weeks after a New York State Thruway Authority public service campaign on bridge strikes ended, a tractor trailer smashed into an overpass on the Thruway in Rockland County.
The incident happened at on Aug. 10 at 12:20 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the New York State Thruway. The accident was captured on video and showed debris flying as the tractor trailer struck the overpass, tipped over, and skidded on its side, according to a CBS News New York report. The tractor trailer skidded and struck a Toyota parked on the shoulder. The driver of the Toyota was taken to a local hospital and was expected to survive, reports say.
The truck driver, Pernell Harris of York, SC, was not injured, but was ticketed for having a vehicle that exceeded the maximum height—13 feet, 6 inches. Two lanes of I-87 southbound were closed to traffic in the area, but all lanes were reopened by 4 p.m. after cleanup was completed.
The Thruway Authority said the bridge suffered minor damage. It is scheduled to be replaced sometime after 2029, officials said. In August 2023, the same overpass was hit by a truck.
The New York State Department of Transportation recently completed its annual “Check Your Height, Know it’s Right” public service campaign, which ran from Monday, July 27 to Friday, July 31. The PSAs aim to educate drivers about their responsibility in preventing bridge strikes. In February 2026, New York took a significant step toward mitigating bridge strikes by instituting an 8-point violation for striking a bridge.
In 2025, there were 310 reported bridge strikes in New York State, usually involving commercial and large truck operators who failed to know or recognize their vehicle’s height or ignored warning signs.
For further information on the Rockland County bridge strike, including video of the accident, go to:
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/video-tractor-trailer-hits-i87-overpass-south-nyack-ny/
Published: August 12, 2026.