Rig Falls Off Bridge, Trucker Killed In Bucks Co. Turnpike Crash

BENSALEM, PA — The driver of a tractor-trailer was killed early Saturday morning when his truck swerved off of a bridge on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bucks County and fell about 40 feet, authorities say.

Pennsylvania State Patrol troopers say Charles Edward Hopper, Jr., 49, of Girard, Ohio, was driving east on the turnpike at 1:26 a.m. Saturday as he approached the I-276 overpass at Newportville Road.

Troopers say Hopper's rig drifted to the right and slammed into the guard rail just before the bridge. It tore up about 200 feet of guard rail and slammed into a concrete barrier at the bridge, then went over the barrier, plummeting about 40 feet to the ground below. It landed on its left side in a wooded area near a creek.

Hopper was hauling two semi-trailers at the time of the crash, according to the state patrol. One of them fell with him, they say, while the other got stuck on top of the concrete barrier, blocking the right lane on the turnpike.

An emergency crew was able to get Hopper out of the cab, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to troopers.

On the crowdfunding site GoFundMe, Hopper's niece, Chalsie Hopper, wrote that her uncle went by the nickname "Uncle Eddie."

"He was such a friendly, kind, and and loving man," Chalsie wrote. "He was loyal to a core and he would always keep his promise. When he wasn't driving truck, on his down time he loved taking his Harley out for some road therapy — always out camping on the weekend but he never missed time spending it with family."

She says Hopper had no children of his own but was scheduled to walk her down the aisle at her wedding in two weeks.

The fundraiser seeks to raise money so the family can afford to bring his body home to Ohio and give him a proper funeral, Chalsie writes.

You May Contribute To The Fundraiser Here

Monday afternoon, it had raised $900 of a $15,000 goal.

Tri-Hampton Rescue Squad, Penndel Fire Company, Newport Fire Company, Croydon Fire Company, Newportville Fire Company, Lewis Environmental and Pennsylvania Turnpike Maintenance were among the crews that responded to the crash.