[UPDATE 4:08 p.m.: Photos] Semi Rolled onto Its Side Blocking Hwy 36
A cement truck flopped onto its side near mile marker 15.5 on Hwy 36 about 1:23 p.m. According to first calls coming into the Emergency Dispatch Center, the semi is blocking both lanes midway between Carlotta and Bridgeville. However, the first emergency personnel report that traffic can get past in the westbound lane.
An ambulance was requested to respond. However, the driver of the big rig refused medical assistance and it was cancelled.
Cement and oil have spilled and this is being looked at as a Hazmat situation.
Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available.
UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: According to the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page, extended one way traffic control is in place. The cement and oil spill is contained to t the roadway and no hazmat situation is believed to be occurring, according to reports made to the CHP page.
UPDATE 4:06 p.m.: One tow truck is on the scene of the cement truck flop and another is on its way.
A reader sent the following photos:
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I’m reserving my snide comments until more concrete information is forthcoming.
Lol
Don’t get set in your ways.
Way to form an opinion early, this could turn into a solid problem.
I saw these guys today while driving on the 36. Its Mercer Frasier drivers acting like jack asses, not being respectful of other drivers or taking their job seriously
All the drivers at Mercer Frazier are professionals maybe you should look at your own driving habits
All the drivers at Mercer Fraser professionals maybe you should look at your own driving habits
Cleary
Are there ANY requirements to drive a big rig? Apparently not. Three crashes in 3 days. Not to mention the many, many more reported on RHBB. CHP needs to start enforcing truck speed limit (55) something they never do…and check the sobriety of truck drivers.
Four?.?.?
Let’s check: north of Prairie Creek -101, Dean Creek near Redway-101, Dora Creek on 101, and highway 36 all in in about 36 hours. Honorable mentions: route 255 single car, north Eureka.
Did we miss any? The count goes on.
Prairie Creek was the other vehicle driving into the truck’s lane. Dean Creek I passed last night and it appeared to also be the car at fault? Not saying there shouldn’t be reviews but the requirements for being a professional truck driver are pretty rigorous. Ride in one if you can and you will see many dangerous and irresponsible car drivers doing dangerous and unnecessary maneuvers…it’s a good exercise in perspective
Five,
There was also this one, @ Greenwood Avenue and Blue Lake Boulevard…
Logging truck vs Ford Escape…
https://kymkemp.com/2023/11/27/extrication-needed-after-logging-truck-and-suv-collide/
I had already tallied four big rig accidents in about one day, before this transit mixer truck flop over on Hwy 36 the following day…
Four at least but I guess my tally was eliminated from the comments as too frivolous and insensitive.
well, this kind of driving will not be eliminated if the toll in human suffering is not broadcast through the media. It’s very sad, but other people’s lives are impacted and endangered when cars crash, not just the families involved. I am tired of feeling threatened just trying to drive.
You have no comments in trash or in spam.
Five.
Of course yesterday’s wreck is one you are referring to? The one where a car went from the southbound lane into the northbound and hit a truck? Obviously that is because the truck driver was intoxicated and forced a car to switch into the opposite lanes right?
Or do you just like to categorize and group people and judge them as a group?
I bet you’re one those prius drivers that cut me off all the time when I’m hauling 80k. One of these times my truck might not stop in time and my dash cam will show who doesn’t know how to drive.
A bit odd to see a capsized cement truck.
Usually cement truck drivers aren’t the ‘rookie’ drivers.
Likely local too… so he should know the road.
—
Dunno.
It’s called a concrete mixer
You can call it that if you want, but it’s a “transit mixer”…
Yeah… cement, concrete, mixer, transit mixer. (But not a ‘Semi’).
True…?♂️
The typical progression in many professions is like the airline pilot industry: start out young and bold. If you and your cargo survive THAT, you become fairly safe and conscientious. Towards your final pro years you MAY get cocky and presumptive and head back into the danger zone for yourself, passengers, general public.
Don’t know which applies here, if any.
Nice! Same progression applies to carpentry. Most injuries occur early or late in the career…
Gotta love the keyboard warriors that always know exactly what happened while sitting on their couch more than likely not working. Until any of you have ever driven a semi truck you should probably keep your comments to yourself. For instance yesterday’s accident that turned out to be the car at fault.
Think it might be a concrete truck not a cement truck, but could be mistaken. Cement is the active ingredient in concrete. The Mercer Frasier drivers are experienced and professional in my experience.
It’s a “transit mixer”…
And yes, the Mercer/Fraser drivers are courteous, but it could also have been a mechanical/maintenance issue…
But, since there is no evidence of that thus far, I’d like to point to exhibit “A”, the hefty fir firewood round in the picture above, that seems to be solidly wedged between the two sets of passenger side dual drive wheels, and must be preventing them from turning…
That certainly could have caused the driver to lose control, if he wasn’t able to avoid that dangerous road hazard…
The fault would lie with whomever lost that unsecured fir firewood round out of their truck or trailer…
I hope that the Mercer/Fraser driver isn’t badly injured, and recovers quickly…
I’d say he did a pretty good job, considering that no one was badly injured…
It could have been so much worse…
CHP should patrol 36, looking for any unsecured, unsafe firewood loads…
And then cite the careless buggers, with a hefty fine…
Hopefully that will convince them to securely trap down their loads, before they get someone killed…
Yup. Lots of firewood that has fallen off of trailers/trucks along the roads.
That was a big chunk to run over.
That’s not wedged. If that had caused the wreck, the truck would not have stopped on top of it
If it was stuck fast there, where would it have gone…???
probably Pfizer’s fault
???
Before you criticize the driver, maybe look into what a tag axle is and how it can affect the handling of a cement truck??♀️
‘Tag’ axle was up during transit.
These drivers are driving way too fast in these trucks. I see it all of the time on 36 and on the 101. Wannabe hotshot drivers thinking they’re untouchable. Always in a rush even though they get paid by the hour. Makes no sense to me
>”Always in a rush even though they get paid by the hour. Makes no sense to me”
It sounds like you have never poured concrete ?
Once you start… loads have to arrive on time.
They are hauling a limited-lifespan load… and more than likely… where a good number of (mostly well paid) construction workers are waiting on their arrival at the job site.
Construction companies know how long it takes to transit, how much time to unload and process, how much time to pull out. They time the loads so that the next load arrives on time and the job can continue.
CHP doesn’t look too keen to have their picture taken
That’s probably just how they look when they see someone blatantly violating the law right in front of them. And yes, hands free applies to using your phone to take pictures of an accident as you drive past (or a camera for that matter in case anyone wants to argue the irrelevant point of “how do you know it was their phone?”).
Frankly those photos shouldn’t be posted since it will only encourage others to do the same unsafe actions in the future.
I see some people jumping on truck drivers in these comments. But here is a real study on what’s happening out there. I know- people in drug-infested Humboldt won’t like it but c’mon just check it out..US study: Over half of car crash victims had drugs in system
https://apnews.com/article/health-business-marijuana-government-and-politics-0e8f4f8a2d7ae7c53e784e8eaa0f9daa
This is not a study about drugs being implicated in causing the car crashes, as the study itself states. (And thanks for posting the link). The “drug’ found most often was pot and the study acknowledged that pot remains inert in the system for weeks. Also “victims” includes quite a few people that were not the cause of the accident – two cars with two people in each may have 4 victims, but only one person who caused the accident. I’d like to know what % of non-accident victims have a “drug” as defined in the study in their bodies, for comparison. And what % of persons causing the accidents to get a true picture of the relationship between “drugs” and accident causation.