News short: Sewage truck dumps a load

Written by Tracie Sullivan
November 16, 2016
Hazmat teams had to clean up the mess Wednesday night after a semi-tractor hauling sewage lost control of its brakes and rolled. Nov. 16, 2016, Cedar City, Utah | Photo by Sam Brower, St. George / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY – Hazmat teams spent several hours Wednesday night cleaning up a mess left behind after a semi-tractor hauling sewage lost control of its brakes and tipped over.

Authorities responded at to the crash located at the intersection of state Route 56 and 5300 West at around 5 p.m., Cedar City Police Sgt. Jerry Womack said.

The semi was driving on 5300 West and had tried stopping before merging onto the highway when the driver realized his brakes had failed.

The semi hit the corner of another semi-tractor trailer headed west; causing the semi hauling sewage to tip over on its side due to the speed it was traveling at the time of the crash.

“It was going pretty fast at that point because there were no brakes so there was no way to slow down,” he said.

Investigators believe the brakes failed due to faulty equipment.

“It appears from looking at the brake lines underneath the sewage truck that they had not been repaired or worked on for a while,” Womack added.

Since the sewage is considered hazardous, certified hazmat teams responded to the scene. Cedar City fire crews, that are also hazmat certified, assisted in the cleanup, according to Womack.

The passenger in the semi hauling sewage was transported to Cedar City Hospital but was not believed to have sustained any major injuries, the sergeant said.

Utah Highway Patrol and Gold Cross Ambulance also assisted on the call.

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Twitter: @tracie_sullivan

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tracie is an award-winning investigative reporter. She has been published in several publications including the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, Spectrum and Daily News, Elan Woman, and New West. During her career, Tracie has covered various beats including education, politics, crime, courts, cops, government, lifestyle, arts and entertainment, and environmental issues. She is known for her fairness and integrity as a reporter.

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10 Comments

  • Bob November 16, 2016 at 9:02 pm

    maybe in UT the trucks hauling poo are exempt from the annual safety inspection. Jump on the freeway hauling a tank full of poo, go 90mph, have no brakes, no big deal, lol…

    • .... November 17, 2016 at 2:17 am

      Is that another one of your idiotic conspiracy theories ?

    • Real Life November 17, 2016 at 10:23 am

      Tank full of poo, a.k.a. Dumpster.

      • .... November 17, 2016 at 5:05 pm

        get some rest you must be exhausted after having a thought. just wondering are you trying to hurt my feelings. LOL ! now that’s some funny stuff right there ha ha ha ha ha ha

    • Bob November 17, 2016 at 12:47 pm

      Driving a tank full of poo on wheels would be a huge improvement in Dump’s lifestyle

      • .... November 17, 2016 at 4:59 pm

        Yes that would be a big improvement and then you can turn it into another one of your idiotic conspiracy theories

        • Bob November 18, 2016 at 12:42 pm

          aww, poor ol’ Dump, lol. They could call u ‘Dump the poo truck pilot’. You could go around and collect all the solid waste and take it home with u

  • sagemoon November 17, 2016 at 9:19 am

    Love the headline!

  • .... November 17, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    I’m glad I don’t have to work for living. keep cashing those paychecks folks I love spending your tax dollars on my luxurious lifestyle

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