Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

North Las Vegas driver cited for load damaging Phoenix interstate overpass

A North Las Vegas man’s oversized cargo crashed into and damaged a Phoenix overpass, and he drove away, Arizona authorities said.

Shane Skougard, 32, was hauling farm equipment from California on Oct. 4 when he caused severe damage to a bridge on Interstate 17, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said in a news release today. Two vehicles were escorting Skougard, and he had applied for permits, but not the ones to travel on I-17. The truck’s load was too high to clear, and as result five support beams on the bridge were damaged.

Officials said they put out media alerts in hopes of locating the culprit, and eventually a witness called in and reported seeing Skougard pulling chunks of cement out of the machines on his truck. With a description of the suspect and his vehicle, the Arizona Department of Public Safety was able to track him down after narrowing possible suspects from a list of 22 wide-load permits issued for that day.

No one was injured, but one of the four lanes on the damaged, one-way bridge has been closed. There is no word on when the damage will be repaired, or how much the new construction will cost, officials said.

Skougard was found in Las Vegas and cited for violating the oversize permit restrictions, causing the crash and hit-and-run, officials said.

The citations could result in fines ranging in the thousands of dollars for Skougard, suspension of his commercial drivers’ license and jail time, authorities said.

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