A lorry driver who failed to stow a large digger bucket on the back of his vehicle, which eventually hit a bridge, has been fined and disqualified.
The incident caused hours of delays on the A23, after 30-year-old Joshua Scofield drove his vehicle without lowering the crane attached to the back, which later hit a bridge and broke off.
A warning alarm on the vehicle would have alerted him to the fact that it was still raised.
It happened southbound at Warninglid on November 3 last year.
Dash cam footage taken from another vehicle traveling behind him, showed the crane arm was raised.
Following the collision with the bridge, Scofield stopped at Bolney nearby and was questioned by police.
Officers also found that the lorry had two defective tyres which could have blown out.
Scofield, of Wells Road, Crawley, was charged and appeared before Brighton Magistrates’ Court on August 15 where he admitted dangerous driving.
He was disqualified from driving for one year and must take an extended retest before he is allowed to get behind the wheel again.
The court ordered him to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, and to pay £500 costs and a £95 victim surcharge.
PC Barry Freeman from the Commercial Vehicle Unit said:
“The footage from the A23 is shocking, Scofield is extremely lucky not to have killed or seriously injured himself or another road user.
“The collision meant that the A23 had to be closed in both directions while engineers inspected the bridge to see if it was secure.
“It is the responsibility of drivers to make sure their vehicle is roadworthy and that the load has been safely secured or stowed.
“We are pleased that a dangerous driver has been taken off our roads.”
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