Fully loaded semi overturns off I-15, throwing cases of cheese in all directions

The cab of a semitractor is severely damaged during rollover off of I-15 near mile marker 110, Mesquite, Nev., Sept. 19, 2018 | Photo courtesy of the Mesquite Fire Department, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A driver was left unscathed after his semitractor-trailer careened off of Interstate 15 near Mesquite, Nevada and tipped onto its side, ripping open the trailer that left a large debris field Wednesday morning.

Officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene near mile marker 110 where they found the driver outside of the semi uninjured and waiting for help to arrive, Mesquite Fire Captain Spencer Lewis said.

“Thankfully, the driver had his seat belt on when this happened, so he was up and walking around when they got there.”

French and Italian cheeses at the market in the Bastille district, Paris, France, undated. This image is for illustration purposes only. Any resemblance between the cheese pictured and the cheese spilled during the accident described in this report is purely coincidental. | Photo by AlexKozlov/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

Lewis said the truck was hauling a load of cheese, and cases of the product cascaded out of the top of the trailer after it was ripped wide open during the crash.

Boxes of cheese were also thrown from the rear of the trailer when the doors popped open as the truck overturned, making the debris field even wider.

The driver told responders that one of the rear tires of his semi blew as he was headed south on the interstate, causing him to lose control of the truck. It went off of the right shoulder, then continued bouncing over rocky terrain until it overturned, pulling the trailer down along with it.

The driver was preparing to exit the interstate and fuel up just before the tire blew, so there was less than 20 gallons of diesel was in the truck’s tanks when it overturned, Lewis said, adding that the environmental impact upon the area was minimal.

The spilled load was cleared while the semi was pulled upright by heavy wreckers and was subsequently towed from the roadway.

This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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3 Comments

  • comments September 20, 2018 at 12:59 am

    I suspect the truck was driving too slow for conditions. This is why the speed limits were raised to 80. It was scientifically shown that faster speeds are ALWAYS safer, esp for very large vehicles with trailers.

  • Striker4 September 20, 2018 at 8:15 am

    I was trolling St George news at 8:13 am when I trolled across this article…..the cheese is a greater threat to the environment than the diesel is…

  • LunchboxHero September 20, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    Suspiciously, just a few hours later, Harmon’s started featuring their “Virgin River Gorge-onzola” on sale… hmmmm…

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