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A semi truck was filmed dragging a hunk of concrete after striking a memorial on a route now frequented by CMVs due to ongoing Helene closures.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The accident happened on Tuesday, February 25th, at a roundabout in Elizabethton, Tennessee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to WCYB<\/a>, the semi truck got stuck in the roundabout and then ran into the veterans monument while trying to get unstuck. Resident Michael Kaal videoed<\/a> the aftermath of the incident.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe was starting to kind of curb it,\u201d Kaal said. \u201cHe started just kind of accelerating and then just completely gassed it, and at that point, he just plowed right into the side of the memorial. He took out the cannon. I\u2019m just kind of in shock, watching this whole thing. Rocks are flying everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Kaal then called 911 and followed the truck while filming, capturing it dragging a hunk of concrete from the memorial as it drove for nearly a mile on a highway.\u00a0<\/p>\n Officials say they have had multiple incidents involving tractor trailers in the roundabout since hurricane Helene damaged the Broad Street Bridge, forcing truckers to find alternate routes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis makes about the second, maybe the third incident we\u2019ve had where somebody\u2019s clipped the monument,\u201d city spokesperson Ivan Sanders said. The city has installed large signs warning drivers to find another route, but it doesn\u2019t seem to be working.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey will follow what GPS tells them for the shortest distance,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cI think that\u2019s really what\u2019s happening right now is a lot of the truck drivers are just taking the shortcut to try to save time.\u201d<\/p>\n Work on the Broad Street Bridge is expected to be completed by May. Until then, officials say there isn\u2019t much else they can do to redirect or help truckers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Watch the videos of the recent incident below.<\/p>\n