November 9, 2007
Scotland
Scotland
A lorry carrying a 160ft section of a massive wind turbine crashed off the A75 west of Annan and blocking it in both directions for eight hours.
A section of the busy Euro route was closed yesterday while a specialist crane was brought in to lift the truck back on to the road.
No-one was hurt in the incident but police were quizzing the lorry driver to find out exactly what happened.
The truck was heading for a windfarm at Dalswinton, near Dumfries, when it left a straight section of the A75 about four miles west of Annan at 11am.
It demolished about 300ft of hedge and fencing before becoming jammed in the grass verge, blocking both carriageways.
The 160ft length of wind turbine remained secured to the lorry.
Sergeant David Blacklock, of Dumfries and Galloway Police, said diversions were quickly in place and delays were minimal.
He said sections of wind turbine were being transported along the A75 on the back of long HGVs most days at the moment, and he urged drivers to take extra care.
He said: “These trucks can only travel at about 25mph and long queues of traffic can build up in their wake. That can tempt people to try to overtake.
“But motorists should remain patient because there are police escorts and these trucks will pull over every few miles to allow vehicles to overtake.”
The A75 was fully re-opened at 7pm.
By Dave Gudgeon
8 November 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/11/09/a75-clear-after-crash/