Too Much Truck, Too Much Overpass

It may be this year's only car wreck with no driver or passengers.

A car carrier on a run through Route 37 in Toms River rammed the Garden State Parkway overpass just past Route 166 this afternoon. Two autos plummeted from the payload onto the highway, tying it up for an hour.

What may be even more interesting is that it was the semi's second drive under the same spot - just on the other side of the highway. Height restrictions can vary from one side of a road to another, and in this case, the lesson was learned the hard way.

The carrier was "westbound on 37 under the Parkway, made a stop, then turned around and went eastbound," says Toms River Police Chief Mike Mastronardy, who adds that no one was injured.

There is no indication that the overpass sustained damage that would compromise it. Three years ago, a similar incident on the Parkway in Lacey Township required the complete reconstruction of a county highway overpass straddling it.