Driver escapes injury when fuel truck blows tire on I-15

LEEDS — The driver of a service truck carrying fuel escaped injury when the vehicle blew a right front tire and veered off northbound Interstate 15 north of Leeds Tuesday morning.

Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to an initial report of a rollover near a construction zone close to mile marker 25 just after 10:30 a.m.

They located the truck off of the right shoulder of the interstate sitting upright with the tires wedged deep into the soft shoulder but did not roll, Utah Highway Trooper Austin Ipson said.

The driver told responders his front tire blew out causing the truck to veer sharply to the right and across the partially paved section of the highway under construction.

The truck continued until it came to rest after plowing into the low, dirt embankment with the right front tire jammed at an angle. Fiberglass pieces and debris scattered across the construction lane without littering any travel lanes.

Ipson said “the driver did everything right” when the tire blew.

The driver was traveling at 65 mph when the blowout occurred, according to the officer, enabling him to maintain control of the truck as it veered off the interstate.

“He had his seat belt on and kept control of the vehicle so it wouldn’t go back into traffic,” Ipson said.

No highway workers were in the vicinity at the time of the incident and no other vehicles were involved.

No citations were issued.

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

St. George News reporter Cody Blowers contributed to this report.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.  

Email: rrees@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.