A tractor trailer hauling some 30 tons of apple and cranberry juice overturned early this morning on a straight stretch of southbound I-95, between the U.S. 1 and Matanzas Woods Parkway exits. The driver was taken to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach with a severe leg injury, according to authorities at the scene.
The cause of the crash has not yet been officially determined, but indications at the scene are that the driver may have either fallen asleep or lost control of the truck. The truck’s tires draw a trajectory that show the truck veering off the road toward the emergency lanes then over-correcting before overturning. The truck ended up on its side, on the driver’s side, along the guard rail. It did not impede traffic. But the left, inside lane of the highway was closed shortly after the wreck took place, at 2:40 this morning.
It remained closed at 10 a.m. Crews spent the rest of the morning emptying the truck of its cargo. A crew from John’s Towing, the Bunnell-based towing company, along with a dozen workers and a Bobcat emptied the trailer of its juice boxes, some going into a dumpster, some going on flatbeds to be stored at John’s Towing until an insurance company releases the cargo–likely either to be donated to to be destroyed, John Rogers, owner of John’s Towing, said at the scene.
“We got the call at 3:30,” Rogers said. “We couldn’t upright the semi loaded because as you see the roof is compromised, so we had to off-load it.” Environmental Land Services the Bunnell company, provided the roll-off dumpster. “Once we get it off-loaded we’ll flip the semi on its wheels and tow it off.”
The driver, whose identity has not been released, is from South Carolina, where the truck is registered. The load was heading for a Walmart store. Rogers estimated the total load at 30 tons. Aside from the Florida Highway Patrol, the Palm Coast Fire Department, Flagler County Fire Rescue and the Palm Coast Fire Police responded to the incident. The scene was expected to be largely cleared by noon.
Flagler County’s stretch of I-95 has had its share of trailer wrecks, including a trailer hauling tons of t-shirts overturning in 2011, a trailer hauling cantaloupes catching fire in 2013, and a fuel truck exploding in 2013, an incident that claimed the driver’s life.
DaveT says
There sure is a lot of wrecks on I-95 in Flagler County
maggie says
That’s the third one in that stretch between Palm Coast Parkway and Matanzas Woods exits, isn’t it?
Nothing is different, other than there’s a new exit a couple miles up the road–so it can’t be the road–but it sure seems weird. Hope the driver makes a speedy recovery…
Literate says
When you got the juice you gotta move like the bishops do
A.S.F. says
The cops need to start pulling over some trucks with erratic drivers at the helm for a change instead of just passenger cars.
Anonymous says
I hope the driver is ok and makes a speedy recovery. What a sticky mess. Welcome juice for Flagler County :-)
Ken Dodge says
Palm Coast can claim its own “Highway thru Hell”
Worried Grammy says
maybe a little police presence would slow some of these trucks down….We could be a very rich county if we controlled some speeders
gail says
Hope the driver recovers quickly and completely. Unfortunately we who travel on 95 on occasion have experienced the gradual change in drivers’ attitudes. Truckers used to be the knights of the road – they set an example for the rest of us ‘amateurs’, like signaling for a lane change, not tailgating, traveling at the speed limit, etc, etc. Now a lot of them are gettin’ the ‘tude’ and driving like they’re in sports cars. Unfortunately for us they are so much deadlier.