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The Schenectady County incident happened at around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, in Glenville on Maple Avenue.
Fire officials said 60-year-old Sylvester Basil, of Clute, Texas, was transporting individual containers of compressed natural gas when he slammed into the steel truss railroad overpass.
The impact sparked a massive explosion and fire that gutted the truck’s cab and knocked out power to more than 1,200 homes in the area.
Basil was airlifted to the Westchester Burn Unit with severe burns to his hands and face, fire officials said. Nobody else was injured.
He later told investigators that he had not seen the posted signs warning of low clearance.
On Friday, Dec. 29, Glenville Town Supervisor Christopher Koetzle told Daily Voice that Basil was charged with failure to obey a bridge sign, a town code violation.
The new ordinance was enacted in response to repeated bridge strikes in the area.
Glenville Police Chief Stephen Janik told WRGB that if Basil fails to appear in court, a judge could issue an arrest warrant.
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