Box Truck Strikes Cherry Valley Avenue Overpass

A box truck struck the Long Island Rail Road train overpass on Cherry Valley Avenue early Friday afternoon, completely ripping off the truck's roof and rear door, according to a witness at the scene.

Clearance height signs, including new solar power units, are clearly marked in the area and the site, as well as others in the village, has been the scene of numerous collisions in the past.

Last month alone three trucks struck train overpasses at Chestnut Street, Merillon Avenue and Cherry Valley Avenue.

On April 1, a male 50-year-old from Brooklyn was operating a Medi-Transport Bus eastbound on Chestnut Street when he collided with the Chestnut Street overpass. He was transported to Winthrop-University Hospital for head injuries. There were no passengers in the vehicle and the bridge was not apparently damaged. The driver was ticketed for disregarding a bridge clearance sign.

Just days later, on April 5, police cited a male 34-year-old from NY, NY for disobeying a bridge clearance sign after striking the Cherry Valley overpass with his truck. There were no injuries reported.

A week later, on April 12, a tractor trailer struck the Merillon Avenue overpass while heading south on Nassau Boulevard. According to village police, a male 25-year-old from Plainview, using his GPS system, claimed he did not notice the clearance sign. The hit peeled the top of the trailer off. Garden City police cited the driver for disobeying the sign.

Garden City police and Public Works were on the scene during today's incident. No one was injured.