Brakes go out; driver tips truck

A cement-truck driver whose vehicle lost its brakes was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after he purposely rolled his truck during the emergency on Traverse Ridge Road Friday.

Police say the driver's actions may have prevented himself and others from suffering more serious injuries.

About 7:30 a.m., the truck was going down the road when the brakes went out, said Draper police Cpl. Ron Jackson.

When the man came to a section of the road with no houses, he drove the large truck off the shoulder and up the side of the mountain, tipping the truck on its side, Jackson said.

"We credit the driver on making a good decision, possibly saving his life and others," he said.

But the driver's company received a citation for bad equipment. Inspectors from the Utah Highway Patrol determined the truck was overweight, Jackson said. They were still trying to determine Friday if the brakes weren't able to handle the heavy load or if the brakes were faulty, in addition to the truck being overweight.

Despite at least one fatal accident and several non-fatal accidents that received attention from the media and a recent roadblock checkpoint for all commercial vehicles in that area, Jackson said Traverse Ridge is not a dangerous road.

"With a grade like that, drivers need to be aware and drive to the conditions and slope of the roadway," he said. "The accidents are due mostly to driver error or equipment failure."

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