Pickup truck goes vertical on Manitowoc drawbridge

MANITOWOC, Wis. (WBAY) - Frightening moments for a driver in Manitowoc whose pickup truck was stuck on a lift bridge while it was opening. Police are calling the incident a “lapse in judgment.”

Action 2 News spoke with a driver who watched the scene unfold Tuesday morning on Manitowoc’s 10th Street Bridge.

Claire Troullier snapped and shared the photo on social media showing a blue pickup truck caught vertically on the drawbridge that was lifting for a boat to pass.

Police say the adult driver of the pickup was obeying traffic laws at the time and the traffic control arms went down after the truck passed them. Lights were flashing and bells were sounding, signaling that the bridge was going to raise up.

Police say the driver had time to safely cross but instead froze.

Police say the truck ended up at an 80-degree angle.

Troullier couldn’t believe her eyes.

“You know, I was sitting down looking at my phone, and all of a sudden I hear this big thud, and I look up and I think his truck must’ve been part way up, all the way up obviously, up far enough and he must’ve slid back down and somehow didn’t flip over backwards, and of course I’m like, ‘I have to take a picture of this. This is like my worst fear,’” Troullier told us.

Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident. Damage to the truck was minor. The bridge checked out OK.

Action 2 News reached out to the Manitowoc Department of Public Infrastructure, which oversees the lift bridge operators. We haven’t heard back yet from the city at the time of this writing.

Police say the driver won’t face any citations. They’re calling this more of an “embarrassing situation” for the driver.

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