(TRIBUNE PHOTO/ RION SANDERS)

Some poor fellow from Great Falls, Montana, crashed his beer truck into the train track overpass last night, closing the overpass overnight.

From the Great Falls Tribune:

Great Falls Police Officer Steve O’Brien said the portion of 6th Street North between Park Drive and River Drive was closed about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday after a Bud Light trailer hauled by a Devine Brothers Distribution truck struck the bridge. The road was re-opened at about 6:45 p.m.

Whoops!

The overpass, which is used by BNSF Railway for freight trains, was moved approximately 8 inches, forcing two trains to hold in Great Falls overnight while crews moved the overpass and repaired the rail, said Eric Schroedel, assistant roadmaster for BNSF in Great Falls.

He said crews planned to use hydraulic jacks to reset the bridge in place before realigning the track. He expected the overpass to open to rail traffic by noon today.

O’Brien said the trailer that struck the overpass was 13 1/2-feet tall. It hit a yellow sign on the overpass that stated the height of the structure at 12 1/2 feet. The bridge also bears a white sign with black lettering that reads “restricted clearance.”

O’Brien said the driver, whose name was not released, usually tows a 12-foot-high trailer.

“It wasn’t his regular beer truck,” O’Brien said. “He usually drives one with a smaller clearance.”

This sounds like a classic movie tragicomic screw-up, like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (“Hope you had a hell of a piss, Arnold!”) or Kevin Smith’s Clerks (“I’m not even supposed to be here today!”).

The moral of this story… it’s never worth it to cover for your co-workers on your day off?

O’Brien said the accident is still under investigation and no citations were issued as of Tuesday night.

Schroedel said that when a vehicle hits an overpass, it is typically up to the company that owns the vehicle — or its insurance carrier — to pay for the repair cost.

He did not have an estimate for the repairs Tuesday.

“I have no idea. It depends on how many man hours we have to put into repairing the track and the bridge,” he said.

Let’s hope the Distro company has some good insurance!

In light of the unknown driver’s current situation, we thought we’d compile a listing of beer delivery jobs.  Just in case, you know?