ST. GEORGE – A section of Dixie Drive was closed for several hours Thursday morning as cranes were used to remove an asphalt truck that had crashed into the median.
Sgt. Craig Harding, St. George Police Department traffic unit supervisor, said police units responded to the area of Dixie Drive and Mesa Palms Drive around 8 a.m. where the truck had crossed over and crashed into the median, where it finally came to a stop. The right side of the truck sank into the soil in the center of the median and became wedged in place.
Harding said it is not believed that excessive speed, alcohol or drugs played a part in the crash. The police will investigate and eliminate each as a contributing factor accordingly, he said.
“The truck was carrying a large load of oil, sand and water,” Harding said, “and we called the UDOT inspector down to do a commercial vehicle inspection. They will check on the weight and the functions of the truck to make sure it was functioning properly.”
Initially, tow trucks were called to remove the asphalt truck, but due to the additional weight of the truck’s load, two cranes had to be used to lift it out of the median. At this point, traffic on Dixie Drive between Mesa Palms Drive and 600 West was shut down.
“Meanwhile, traffic’s been routed up and around to Tonaquint Drive and through the residences,” Harding said. “(The accident) has disrupted a lot of traffic. We’ve also had damage to city infrastructure, including the roadway and the median.”
St. George Police Sgt. Sam Despain said the driver was issued a citation for crossing into the median. Additional charges may be applied pending the outcome of the UDOT vehicle inspection.
No one was harmed in the incident.
The scene was eventually cleared and the roadway reopened by 12:45 p.m.
It took two cranes to lift an asphalt truck that ran into the median on Dixie Drive and got wedged in place, St. George, Utah, May 30, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
It took two cranes to lift an asphalt truck that ran into the median on Dixie Drive and got wedged in place, St. George, Utah, May 30, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
It took two cranes to lift an asphalt truck that ran into the median on Dixie Drive and got wedged in place, St. George, Utah, May 30, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
It took two cranes to lift an asphalt truck that ran into the median on Dixie Drive and got wedged in place, St. George, Utah, May 30, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
It took two cranes to lift an asphalt truck that ran into the median on Dixie Drive and got wedged in place, St. George, Utah, May 30, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
It took two cranes to lift an asphalt truck that ran into the median on Dixie Drive and got wedged in place, St. George, Utah, May 30, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
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Twitter: @MoriKessler
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2013, all rights reserved.
Wondered what had happened there when I got stuck in the detour this morning…thanks for the report.
Whoosh! Ruesch Machine had their big cranes out for this one…