THE ROLLOVER
RISKS OF TRACTOR TRAILERS IS TOO GREAT TO CONTINUE TO IGNORE: OVERTURNED
TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK CAUSES SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE ROADWAY AND CLOSES TWO
TEXAS HWY 73 LANES NEAR RAINBOW BRIDGE IN PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS
Updated: Wednesday, January 7 2015, 03:08 PM CST UPDATE –
All lanes of Hwy 73 near the Rainbow Bridge in Port
Arthur are now opened.
An 18-wheeler overturned on Highway 73 about 9:30 a.m.
near Taft Street in Jefferson County just west of the Rainbow Bridge closing
the westbound lanes for most of the day, DPS says.
DPS said a 2007 Volvo truck tractor semi-trailer was
travelling westbound on Highway 73 near Taft Street. The driver of the truck
tractor failed to drive in a single lane which caused the vehicle to turn over
and lose its load. The 18-wheeler was hauling heavy scrap metal spools. The
crash caused extensive damage to the roadway.
The driver of the vehicle, 31-year-old Gregory Johnson
of Beaumont, was transported by ambulance to the Southeast Texas Medical
Center. Johnson sustained only minor injuries.
Due to the damage to the roadway, the Texas Department
of Transportation immediately responded to the scene to repair the roadway. At
this time, Highway 73 is open. Johnson was issued a traffic citation for
Failure to Drive in a Single Lane. There is no further information to be
released.