Lucky to be alive after lorry collapses bridge

Jul 1 2009 by Robert Mitchell, Wishaw Press

A SHOTTS man is lucky to be alive after he was driving behind a lorry that ploughed into a footbridge and caused it to come crashing down in the middle of Salsburgh’s busy main road.

Martin McCulloch (44), who was travelling in his car just behind the lorry, spoke to the Wishaw Press shortly after the dramatic accident which happened yesterday (Tuesday) morning.

He said: “I didn’t see it coming. In a split second the whole bridge collapsed.

“I pulled the car over to the side of the road and ran down to the lorry. The driver was okay but he was in shock.

“I’m lucky to be alive and how he survived I’ll never know. It’s a miracle there were no fatalities.

“I’m just sitting here staring at what’s left of the bridge and thinking how lucky I am to be alive.”

Mr McCulloch, of Curryside Avenue, Shotts, area rep for the GMB union for Scotland and Northern Ireland, added: “I had planned to go to the races at Hamilton and spend a few quid but then changed my mind and decided to go shopping instead.

“My son, Aidan (17), is coming home from Malaga today and I’ll have some story to tell him.”

He added: “ It’s amazing that no-one was on the bridge as it is used by lots of people.”

The lorry was carrying a minicrane which smashed into the blue bridge bringing it down.

Resident Lynsey Brown was sitting in her living room in Muiryhall Terrace when she looked out of her window and saw the lorry hit the bridge.

She told the Wishaw Press: “I was sitting feeding my child when I saw the lorry smash into the bridge. It all happened in a matter of seconds.

“The sound was like nothing I’ve ever heard before. I think I let out a scream. It was so lucky that the kids were off school as normally there’s a lot more traffic coming through.

“It’s a miracle no-one was killed.”

Chief Inspector Stewart Carle said that a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Jim Keir, chairman of Salsburgh Community Council, said: “The bridge was put up about 40 years ago, before the M8 was opened. Back then, this road in Salsburgh was the main route from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

“The community council have, for some time, been advocating the removal of the bridge and traffic calming measures as the road is very busy and dangerous. The main thing we want is the speed limit reduced from 40mph to 30mph.

“The bridge has been obsolete for a long time and vehicles carrying heavy and high loads regularly pass through here so I’m not surprised that an incident like this has happened. I always felt that it was vulnerable.

“Hopefully this incident is now the catalyst for something being done to protect people living near, crossing and driving on this road.

“I’m just relieved that no-one was on the bridge at the time and nobody has been hurt.”