Garbage truck rollover at Bluff Street-Snow Canyon intersection spews debris across roadway

ST. GEORGE — A garbage truck hauling thousands of pounds of trash overturned and spewed debris at a Bluff Street intersection Thursday morning following a possible brake failure.

Garbage truck overturns when brakes reportedly fail at the Bluff Street-Snow Canyon Parkway intersection, St. George, Utah, Aug. 27, 2020 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

Shortly after 7 a.m. officers and firefighters were dispatched to the single-vehicle rollover on Red Hills Parkway at the Bluff Street-Snow Canyon Parkway intersection.

Responders found the truck on its side completely blocking both westbound lanes on Snow Canyon Parkway. The driver in the truck was uninjured.

Multiple officers were brought in to divert traffic away from the crash as the two westbound lanes were cordoned off. One eastbound lane on Snow Canyon Parkway was also closed, and traffic was reduced to a single lane, with a large amount of debris scattered across the median and into the first lane.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Department was also on scene assisting with traffic control.

St. George Police Officer Tiffany Atkin said that at the time of the cash, the truck was heading south on state Route 18, and as the truck approached the intersection and attempted to make the right turn heading west on Snow Canyon Parkway, the driver applied the brakes, but they reportedly failed.

As the driver was attempting to control the truck without brakes, the weight of the load shifted, and the truck’s tire hit the curb, causing it to become unbalanced and overturn, spilling trash and debris into the intersection and across Snow Canyon Parkway.

There were no other vehicles involved, Atkin said, due to the efforts of the driver who “attempted to do what he could to navigate the intersection safely.”

The intersection remains blocked as of publication of this article, and a towing supervisor was at the scene assessing the crash to determine the resources and equipment needed to pull the truck upright and remove it from the scene. Three tow trucks were brought in shortly thereafter.

The crash is still under investigation, Atkin said.

The St. George Police Department, St. George Fire Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Department of Transportation responded and tended to the scene.

This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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