The horror broke out when a man decided to drive a 36,000-pound dump truck full of gravel over a Civil War-era covered wooden bridge.

The 19th-century Babb’s Bridge in Gorham collapsed around 12:45 p.m. Friday when a Ford F-750 dump truck loaded with gravel attempted to cross the fragile structure.

Driver Joshua Polewarzyk, 37, of Limington, was attempting to cross the 183-year-old bridge when the wooden deck gave way and the vehicle plunged into the river below.

The truck weighed about 36,000 pounds, nearly 30,000 pounds more than the bridge’s rated load of 6,000 pounds.

Paul Merrill, spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation, called the incident “unprecedented” and said he had never seen anything like it before.

The 19th-century Babb’s Bridge in Gorham collapsed around 12:45 p.m. Friday when a Ford F-750 dump truck loaded with gravel attempted to cross the fragile structure.

The driver, 37-year-old Joshua Polewarzyk of Limington, was attempting to cross the 183-year-old bridge when the wooden deck gave way and the vehicle plunged into the river below.

The truck overturned and its roof was partially submerged. Fortunately, Polewarzyk was able to escape with only minor injuries.

“The people I work with who have been here for decades are not aware of any case like this occurring on any bridge in MaineDOT’s portfolio. This is, I believe, the first time,” Merrill told News Center Maine.

In a press release, Gorham Police stated that “the excessive weight of the vehicle caused the wooden floor of the bridge structure to give way.”

The truck overturned and its roof remained partially under water.

Fortunately, Polewarzyk managed to escape with only minor injuries.

“The driver was able to free himself from the truck and suffered only minor injuries,” the press release states.

The truck weighed approximately 36,000 pounds, nearly 30,000 pounds over the bridge’s rated load of 6,000 pounds.

The bridge, which spans the Presumpscot River between Gorham and Windham, was originally built in 1840 and rebuilt in 1976 after a fire. It is made of timber

It will remain closed for several months while authorities assess the damage and plan repairs.

MaineDOT reports that the structure was last inspected in late July, just weeks before the accident.

“There’s a detour of probably three to four kilometers, which isn’t too long in the grand scheme of things. But we know it’s going to cause inconvenience, and we know it’s going to cause inconvenience for most of the rest of the year,” Merrill added.

The bridge, which spans the Presumpscot River between Gorham and Windham, was originally built in 1840 and rebuilt after a fire in 1976. It is made of lumber.

“It was Maine’s oldest covered bridge until it was burned down by vandals in 1973,” the press release said. “MaineDOT staff built an exact replica of the bridge using lumber sawn in Gorham and historically authentic construction techniques.”

“The replacement bridge was opened in 1976. The bridge is made of wood and the abutments on both sides of the river are made of stone.”

It will remain closed for several months while authorities assess the damage and plan repairs.

“Due to a car accident, the covered bridge on Hurricane Road in Gorham is closed indefinitely. Please find a safe alternate route,” Gorham Police said on Facebook.

MaineDOT reports that the structure was last inspected in late July, just weeks before the accident. The bridge is inspected at least every two years and the weight limit for the bridge was first set at three tons in 1983 and has remained unchanged since then.

“This is a very serious example of what could happen … when a bridge is almost 50 years old and unique like this one and you have a vehicle that appears to be terribly overloaded, this is what happens,” Merrill said.

Many people criticized the driver, while others defended him because he simply made a mistake.

“Wow, all these negative posts, you people should be ashamed of yourselves. Is this someone right? People make mistakes. When will we finally learn to stop getting so upset about mistakes?” commented one user on Facebook.

“Hope everyone involved is doing well,” wrote another.