Komatsu America Corp., Komatsu Ltd. to be named in Interstate 5 bridge case by Las Vegas-based transport company

LAS VEGAS – Komatsu America Corp., Komatsu Japan along with Modern Machineries of Rochester, WA, are to be named in a case brought by Environmental Transportation of Nevada, LLC (ETON) for contributory negligence in the destruction of a bridge over Interstate 5 in Washington state.

On July 20, 2016, a semi-truck hauling a pair of Komatsu excavators hit the overpass spanning Interstate 5 near Chehalis, WA, causing significant structural damage. Due to the extent of damage to the girders and for the safety of the traveling public, the Washington State Department of Transportation closed the overpass until repairs could be made. The estimate to repair the bridge from the State of Washington is in excess of 4 million dollars.

The truck was driven by a Henry Abadia, who was working for ETON. According to local media, the overpass which was built in 1958 had been struck by trucks nine times in the past 10 years.

The pending suit alleges that Komatsu America’s agent Modern Machineries failed to load the excavators properly and in accordance with Komatsu’s published shipping dimensions for the equipment under transport.

ETON is a Las Vegas-based premier transportation company serving the Western United States with equipment, professional drivers and superior on-time service.

Komatsu America Corp. is a U.S. subsidiary of Komatsu Ltd., the world’s second largest manufacturer and supplier of earth-moving equipment, consisting of construction, mining and compact construction equipment. Komatsu America also serves forklift and forestry markets. Through its distributor network, Komatsu offers a state-of-the-art parts and service program to support its equipment. Komatsu has proudly been providing high-quality reliable products for nearly a century.

Modern Machinery sells and rents high quality heavy equipment and provides product support to the construction, mining, and forestry industries. The Modern Machinery terminal in Rochester, WA is a home to a large staging area for a variety of Komatsu product brought from overseas awaiting shipment to other Komatsu dealers.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.