Motorist Charged in Crash That Closed U.S. 19

Update April 6, 4:54 p.m.: This story was updated to reflect the latest information from the Pinellas Park Police Department.

A single motorist is responsible for two separate incidents along U.S. 19 Monday afternoon that left the roadway closed to traffic, police say.

According to the Pinellas Park Police Department, the incidents began to unfold around 1 p.m. as James Vargo of Caladesi Construction was attempting to transport an excavator southbound along U.S. 19. That excavator had a large boom arm extended, bringing the height of the vehicle to 16 feet.

As Vargo passed through the intersection of 82nd Avenue and U.S. 19, the excavator clipped the power lines, police wrote in an email to media.

Not realizing the lines were clipped, Vargo proceeded to the intersection U.S. 19 and Gandy Boulevard where he started an eastbound turn, the email said.

“The extended arm was too high for the allowed clearance and struck the traffic light while scraping the underside of the Gandy Boulevard overpass,” police wrote.

That collision caused the excavator to fall off the vehicle, spilling fuel into the roadway.

“All traffic over and under the bridge was diverted until the fire department neutralized the fuel spill and the Florida DOT determined that the integrity of the overpass was not compromised,” the email stated.

Damage to the traffic light is estimated at $500 while the damage to the bridge is about $2,000.

Vargo received two citations, police said.

Image via Shutterstock

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