Car Damaged By Falling Concrete On I-95 In Sharon
SHARON (CBS) - A family says their car windshield was crushed by falling concrete on a Massachusetts highway.
That Connolly family says the state won't pay for the damage because no one was hurt or killed.
"It was as though the windshield just exploded," Brian Connolly told WBZ-TV.
The windshield shows the force of the impact, with what appears to be concrete and rust in the crushed glass.
The family was driving through Sharon Sunday afternoon when they say the piece of concrete fell from the South Walpole Street bridge on I-95 northbound.
"We couldn't see a thing, since it was all smashed in," says Jasmine Connolly. "We were able to get over to the side of the road."
The couple's two young children were in the car but luckily, no one was hurt. Now, the state's Highway Department says they're not sure the damage came from a state bridge.
Jasmine says, "I was told because no one was injured and no one was killed, that they are not held liable."
The bridge in question was built in 1963. A similar bridge on the southbound side, which was built at the same time, has big chunks of concrete missing from it.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation says they have checked the area twice and found no debris.
In a statement to WBZ-TV they said, "On Sunday afternoon, our staff went to check the area for debris. No debris was found. Today, we also checked the areas near the Mechanic Street Bridge and the South Walpole Street Bridge and again, no sign of debris was found."
"In my opinion, their negligence caused property damage to us," says Brian. "We could have easily lost one of us."
