Thursday April 17, 2025 Excavator knocked off lorry going under bridge

Traffic Commissioner inquiry after accident in south London

An eight-tonne excavator being driven on the back of a trailer by Carey London was knocked off while travelling under a bridge near East Putney Tube Station.

An inquiry by the Traffic Commissioner for the East of England heard how the transporter lorry collided with a bridge on the A205 Upper Richmond Road in London last October.

The collision resulted in the excavator being knocked off onto the adjacent footpath. No one was injured.

The inquiry heard that the driver had measured the height of the load using a tape measure not a measuring stick and not chained down the excavator.

The Commissioner said “A professional driver is not expected to allow lapses of attention as they are in charge of vehicles which are by their very nature and size, dangerous.

“The decision to drive in that state presents an unacceptable risk and the decision making is not indicative of a professional driver.

“The outcome of this incident could have been truly catastrophic.”

The Commissioner suspended the driver for two months and halved the amount of plant transport vehicles Carey London could have on the road.