This semi pulled a similar U-turn to another reckless semi driver in Florida in 2025, killing three.
Jefferson County-area driver and Redditor /u/BilliamJ2 shared headshaking dashcam footage from near the 81 off of Route 3 from earlier in July (July 21, 2026) to the /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit showing a reckless semi driver pulling a sizeable trailer suddenly making a U-turn across four busy lanes, forcing drivers to emergency brake to avoid a collision.
Check out what his dashcam captured below with the original Reddit thread linked here.
The incident happened on the Arsenal St overpass over the 81, along Route 3 (Exact location on Google Maps linked here.)
As the dashcam shows, OP is driving westbound on Route 3, over the 81, towards the intersection with County Rte 202.
As he approaches the halfway point of the bridge, a driver in a Core-Mark semi hauling a Core-Mark trailer in the rightmost lane suddenly makes a dangerous, illegal U-turn across all lanes of traffic.
Traffic on either side has to slow to a crawl to avoid t-boning the semi-trailer.
Thankfully, everyone, except that semi driver, had their head screwed on right, was paying attention, and successfully slowed to avoid a collision.
Last year, a semi driver in Florida pulled off a similar, illegal U-turn and caused a brutal wreck that instantly killed three people.
“CDL revoking maneuver,” one of the top comments from /u/renmyaru reads.
“The trucker saw the ‘pedestrians ahead’ sign, thought it was a zombie warning, and got the hell out of there,” /u/HalfastEddit lightheartedly added.
“You should actually report that to the DOT. That was wildly dangerous,” /u/6786_007 suggested.
A driver making an illegal U-turn in New York can face a $150 fine and 2 points on their license. The semi’s maneuver on the Arsenal Street overpass forced another driver to brake suddenly to avoid a collision. Additional penalties could apply if other violations are issued.
In Watertown, NY, an illegal U-turn crossing opposing lanes of traffic can result in a $150 fine plus state surcharges and 2 points on your license under New York’s updated point system. (The US Sun) If the maneuver nearly causes a crash, additional charges such as reckless driving or unsafe movement may be considered depending on the circumstances. (jeffersoncountyny.gov)
