A man was killed and a woman was seriously injured when the digging crew landed on their vehicle near a railroad bridge on old Route 66 in Oro Grande.
The collision was reported at 7:18 a.m. Tuesday on the National Trails Highway near the Cal Portland cement plant, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officers believe a semi truck with a backhoe in tow hit the railroad bridge, causing the backhoe to fall and land on a nearby Ford.
After the collision, the partially crushed vehicle continued south on National Trails Highway until it crashed into a tree near the bridge, CHP said.
High Desert resident Artie DeVres said he thought the wreck was “just another cement truck that hit the bridge, which happens quite often.”
“I drove a little further and saw a wrecked car and knew something terrible had happened,” DeVres said.
Clearance under the bridge is 13 feet, 11 inches.
Victorville firefighters responded to the collision and discovered a man in the vehicle was dead. The woman in the Ford was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. His condition is unknown.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office has not released the identity of the man who died.
County staff were asked to inspect the roadway for skid marks. BNSF officials were also asked to check the bridge for damage.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.
