Perhaps the most dangerous road for truckers claimed another victim on Tuesday, with a tractor-trailer getting stuck on the Smugglers' Notch stretch of Vermont State Route 108.
This makes at least three trucks this year that plowed past warning signs, and sometimes screaming bystanders, warning about the treacherous pass in multiple languages. It's also yet another Smuggler's Notch stuckage that involves a language barrier.
"The operator of the truck was identified as Ramiro Suarez Cadena," police wrote of the most recent incident. "Cadena told Troopers that he was unable to read or understand the English language, so he did not heed the multiple signs prior to entering the Notch."
Cadena was ultimately issued multiple tickets for traversing the route, and blocking traffic after he got stuck, local police noted.
[Related: Truck driver takes a swim after crashing into reservoir]
Overdrive previously spoke to the Vermont Agency of Transportation, who said there are at least half a dozen signs in French and English warning trucks about the route. A local towing company said that, often, language issues compound the problem.
Todd Sears, Operations and Safety Bureau Deputy Director at the AOT said the "majority of stuckages, however, do not involve language issues."
