Semitrailer tips over on Diamond

A semitrailer dumping rig unloading dirt for the Diamond Drive reconstruction project tipped over and onto a resident’s 6-foot-tall wooden fence Monday. The driver sustained minor burns to his left elbow during the accident, which occurred about 10:30 a.m. near the intersection at 36th Street.

A slight slope can be enough to cause a rig to tip over, according to Construction Safety Magazine, which states as end-dump truck bodies and semi-trailer dumping rigs get longer, the incidence of units tipping over has increased. Tipping accidents are more frequently connected with semitrailer rigs, than with straight trucks.

Los Alamos Fire Department Battalion Chief Richard Garcia explained Monday’s load of dirt shifted toward the driver’s side of the rig, which caused it to tip over when he raised the bucket.

Los Alamos County spokeswoman Julie Habiger issued a press release stating that while the accident did not occur in the roadway, Diamond Drive was closed from 36th Street to Alabama Street to provide a safe work zone for LAFD emergency response crews.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation was notified, arrived on scene and opened an investigation into the cause of the accident, Habiger said.

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