September 5, 2013
Kansas

Semi carrying turbine base crashes in Washington Co.

By the Salina Journal | September 05, 2013 | www.salina.com

WASHINGTON – An axle on a semitrailer hauling the base of a wind turbine broke Wednesday morning in rural Washington County, causing the semi to roll, damaging the wind turbine base and the trailers.

Washington County Sheriff Justin Cordry said the semi crashed just after 10 a.m. on U.S. Highway 36, a mile east of the intersection of Kansas Highway 148.

“There was a mechanical failure that caused the trailer to go into the median,” Cordry said. “Everything was totaled. The truck rolled over; the trailers were damaged and so was the load.”

Cordry said no one was injured in the crash.

“Luckily, it happened in an area with a big median,” Cordry said.

“If it had been on a two-lane highway, it would have been bad.”

Cordry said the semi was hauling three trailers, one carrying the base. He said the truck was headed to a wind farm in southwest Kansas.

Cordry said the base of the turbine was to remain in the highway median overnight and be picked up today.

According to a news release from the Kansas Department of Transportation, KDOT maintenance crews will close the eastbound passing lane of U.S. 36 today to allow two cranes to be brought in to reset the base section of the wind turbine on a replacement trailer and clear the median.

The highway is expected to be reopened by this evening, according to the KDOT release.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/09/05/truck-carrying-wind-turbine-equipment-crashes/