Semi spills logs across roadway after striking SUV near Newcomerstown
WASHINGTON TWP. (WJER) (June 26, 2024) – The State Highway Patrol state Route 258 east of Newcomerstown was closed for some time Tuesday morning after a semi hauling logs spilled them across the roadway near Sleepy Elm Rd SW around 7:55 a.m.
Trooper Travis Adkins says it happened when the semi struck an SUV that pulled into its path from a stop sign.
“The SUV tried to make a U-turn on state Route 258… just didn’t see the semi and the semi hit it,” said Adkins. “Then the semi overturned after hitting the SUV.” Despite the outcome, Adkins described the collision as just a “glancing strike.”
Crews with a crane and other vehicles had to remove the logs from the road and get the semi-trailer upright again. They also had to clear some diesel fuel that had spilled.
The SUV driver, a 66-year-old Newcomerstown man, was cited for failure to yield from a stop sign. Adkins says the 73-year-old Sugarcreek man driving the semi was going under the posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour.
He says both drivers were wearing seat belts and avoided significant injuries.
“Just some scrapes and cuts,” said Adkins.