GARFIELD COUNTY — A semitrailer traveling east on state Route 20 near milepost 11 tipped Sunday morning while taking a sharp turn, breaking through the guardrail and sliding onto its side.

The driver of the semi was not injured and no other cars were involved, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Joseph Neighbor said.

While law enforcement said they are unsure exactly what caused the rollover which occurred around 8:15 a.m., Neighbor said the most likely reason for the crash was the that the driver was going too fast. The speed limit drops to 40 mph on the turn, he said, and accidents have happened in that area before.

However, Neighbor said, the semi driver is currently under investigation for impaired driving.

Because of a split in the wall of the trailer, its contents had to be taken out before righting it so that the wall didn’t break open completely. A forklift was brought to help unload the dozens of boxes of apples from the truck.

The towing company at the scene, Anytime Towing, unloaded the boxes and was waiting to hear from the company that owns the cargo. Because the truck has to keep the apples temperature-controlled, every minute the boxes sit out in the sun makes it more likely that the fruit will spoil and will have to be discarded.

UHP, Paragonah Fire, Panguitch Fire and Panguitch Ambulance responded to the scene.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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