WOODWARD — The driver of a semi-tractor trailer escaped injury after flipping his vehicle while eastbound on Iowa Highway 141 near County Road R22 (the Moran Curve) shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the Dallas County Sheriff’s office, Ronald Parsons of Colorado Springs, Colo., was traveling south in the 15000 block of Highway 141 Diagonal when he verged onto the shoulder of the roadway and rolled over into the ditch.
Woodward Volunteer Fire Department Captain Karl Harris said Parsons was “shaken up a bit” but refused transport and appeared uninjured. Harris said he believed Parsons drifted into loose gravel on the shoulder of the outside eastbound lane and then over-corrected when he felt his trailer begin to veer, resulting in the accident.
“He is very lucky he didn’t go farther (south) and end up down in the ditch,” Harris said. “He was also lucky, as far as it goes, that his load didn’t spill. Lots of times the sides will split and the doors come open on rollovers, but that didn’t happen this time.”
The tractor, owned by J. M. Transport of Scott City, Kan., was hauling a trailer with 40,000 pounds of corn meal packaged in 50-pound bags. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $40,000 by the Dallas County Sheriff’s office.
Hanifen Towing of Des Moines responded to the scene to help with the towing and clean-up of the site. Authorities closed the outside lane of eastbound Iowa Highway 141, which was still closed as of 7 p.m.
Agencies responding to the accident included the Woodward Volunteer Fire Department, Woodward Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s office, Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Department of Transportation Enforcement office.
ThePerryNews.com updated this story at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 6.
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