Truck spills logs near U.S. 67
No injuries in accident involving woman and her dog
The overturned trailer and strewn contents of a logging truck that swerved to avoid hitting a woman and her dog could be seen on southbound U.S. 67 near the Maple Valley interchange in Farmington on Thursday during the lunch rush. No injuries were reported.
SARAH HAAS, shaas@dailyjournalonline.com
A woman and her dog are safe, despite a close call with a logging truck Thursday around noon on southbound U.S. 67 in Farmington.
Lunch hour traffic near the Maple Street interchange in Farmington was slowed to a crawl after the truck transporting the timber lost its trailer, spilling the large logs onto the grassy area between the Hobby Lobby parking lot and the exit to Maple Street.
The Peterbilt log hauler, owned by Jadwin Transport LLC out of Salem, was said to be traveling south on U.S. 67 with its load when the driver spotted a woman, stopped on the shoulder, getting out of her car to chase her dog, according to Kim Smith, one of the trucking company’s owners.
“Our driver got a statement from the lady,” Smith said. “She was parked alongside the road, opened her door and her dog ran out in front of him and she went following it.
“Our driver was afraid that he was going to hit her and he swerved, and then when he tried to get straightened up, it took that trailer over. So he was trying to save the life of the woman.”
Farmington Fire Chief Kyle Carter, whose department was working the accident scene with Farmington Police Department and Missouri Highway Patrol, said the truck managed to stay upright and make its way near the interchange exit.
Smith said Thursday afternoon, the driver planned to get the logs stacked on the side of the road, but the tongue of the trailer was damaged and will need to be repaired.
Farmington Police and Fire departments manage traffic and clean up the accident scene left by a logging truck whose trailer became unhitched and flipped Thursday afternoon after it swerved to avoid a woman and her dog.
“I asked [the driver] and he said no, nobody was injured, not even the dog, so I guess everybody was good,” Smith said. “He was just trying to avoid an injury and he was successful, so anytime we can just have a broken piece of equipment and nobody’s hurt, it’s a good trade.”
Carter confirmed no injuries were reported and indicated the Missouri State Highway Patrol will handle the official report.
The Salem trucking company has been in operation since 2008, according to the website Open Corporates. The family-owned business hauls logs, poles, beams and lumber. It was listed online as having seven trucks and five drivers, and zero transport violations.
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation’s “Highway Safety for Missouri Log Trucks,” a local log truck may have a total weight of up to 105,000 pounds when operating within a 150-mile radius on state highways.
The Missouri Department of Conservation estimates $10 billion in annual revenue is added to Missouri’s economy in the form of harvesting and processing trees into wood products, providing jobs for thousands of people.
