LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville man is now avoiding a popular route after something came crashing down onto his car as he was driving on the Sherman Minton Bridge.
He wants to warn others that it's not worth the risk.
Chad, who didn't want to share his last name, said he was traveling eastbound last Monday, as thousands of people do everyday, on the Sherman Minton Bridge.
"I was just extremely unlucky in this particular instance," Chad said.
A man alleged that something fell from the Sherman Minton Bridge and hit his windshield. (WDRB photo)
Something smashed his dream car while heading home around 10:30 p.m. It left a crack about the size of a baseball and destroyed his windshield. It also damaged the roof of his car.
"Fragments of the lower pane came through and hit me as I was driving as well," he said.
He was on the bottom deck, so he said whatever it was, came from the bottom of the top level of the bridge.
Even so, he's glad it wasn't worse.
"Going 55, 60 miles an hour, whatever it was for it to hit like that, it could've easily went through," he said. "It was heavy."
This was a week after the bridge reopened. Crews closed the bridge for 10 days for emergency repairs from July 27 until Aug. 6.
Two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane reopened. The rest could reopen by the end of the month.
"I knew that things had happened to other drivers, but I didn't know that this could happen," Chad said.
A man alleged that something fell from the Sherman Minton Bridge and hit his windshield. (WDRB photo)
Last year, drivers told WDRB something like paint dripped from the top deck and splattered on dozens of cars below. Most recently in June, drivers reported their vehicles had been hit by a wet mixture called slurry.
Since then, Phase 3 of the construction started and is expected to last until November.
Drivers like Chad think it should be closed altogether until the work is done.
"I don't think it should be open," he said. "If things like this can happen, there's not any kind of net or there's not any kind of safety or precautions in place to prevent it, I don't think that it should be open."
Statement from spokesperson with The Sherman Minton Renewal:
"INDOT’s customer service team recently received a damage report from a motorist and the Sherman Minton project team is seeking additional details about the specific time and location of the reported incident. Officials are gathering the information to investigate whether the vehicle damage could have been caused by worksite materials or debris from another vehicle.
The Sherman Minton Renewal team is committed to safety and providing safe conditions for motorists during construction. Workers on the project participate in daily safety briefings and are continuing to inspect work areas to ensure all project materials are secured to eliminate potential hazards.
Motorists are encouraged to report safety concerns by calling 1-855-INDOT4U (1-855-463-6848) to share details with a customer service representative or visit www.indot4u.com to submit a question or concern."
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