No injuries as log truck overturns in Greencastle

While the vehicle, as well as city, state and private property sustained damage in the incident, no one was injured when a log truck overturned at Washington and Bloomington streets in Greencastle Thursday afternoon.

Banner Graphic/Brand Selvia

An overturned log truck in the middle of Greencastle blocked traffic for much of Thursday afternoon but the good news is that no one was injured.

The truck, a Peterbilt tractor pulling a open log trailer owned by CJ Logging of Morgantown and driven by Clay Law, also of Morgantown, was attempting to turn from northbound Bloomington Street onto westbound Washington Street when the load apparently shifted and the truck rolled onto its passenger side on the north side of the road.

Law was on his way to a sawmill at Montezuma with a load when the incident occurred at about 1:30 p.m. Law said his is familiar with the turn and wasn’t sure what had happened.

Logs lie at the intersection of Washington and Bloomington streets following the incident.

Banner Graphic/Jared Jernagan

“I come through here all the time,” Law said. “I felt something halfway through the turn. I tried to drive out of it.”

Instead, the weight had shifted in the trailer and it continued, pulling the tractor over with it. The truck rolled onto its side, taking out a tree and light post owned by the city, as well as the metal overhead highway sign structure.

The trailer also dumped its logs into the front yard at 413 E. Washington St.

Fortunately, no one was in the yard or on the sidewalk at the time.

Law was also not injured in the crash.

Greencastle Police Department Capt. Chris Jones, who was investigating the crash, said speed could have been a factor, though GPD had no other reports of the truck speeding through town.

“We’re looking at everything right now,” Jones said.

A witness who was stopped eastbound on Washington Street told the Banner Graphic that as the back of the trailer was about halfway through the turn, he noticed the back wheels start to lift off the ground as the trailer went over.

Jones, along with several other GPD officers, the Greencastle Fire Department and Operation Life all responded to the incident initially.

With no one injured, the ambulance soon departed.

However, the damage to the state-owned structure, as well as the need for traffic control, soon had Indiana Department of Transportation workers on the scene. There were also crews diverting traffic at the Jackson-Washington intersection and the Bloomington-Veterans Highway intersection.

Two large wreckers from Curtis Wrecker Service were also soon on the scene, beginning the long task of securing the scene and then removing the truck.

With logs also needing to be loaded on another truck, crews remained at the location until after 5 p.m.

Jones told the Banner Graphic an Indiana State Police/Indiana Department of Transportation investigator had been called to the scene to help determine the cause of the accident, such as if the load was not properly secured or the trailer was not in good working order.

Jones said it would be several days until the state investigation would be complete.

The officer added that the tractor was likely totaled, as the frame was bent. He estimated damage to the vehicles alone at $35,000.