Potato Truck Overturns In South Idaho; Causes Natural Gas Leak
A truck driver hauling potatoes through south Idaho Thursday afternoon caused a natural gas leak when he lost control and rolled on State Highway 39.
Idaho State Police responded to the October 3 incident just after noon. The driver, who has only been described as a juvenile, was taken to Power County Hospital in American Falls following the accident, according to details provided by localnews8.com.
The identity and age of the driver has not been released. The crash happened along Highway 39 and 1900 south, just a few miles outside the city of Aberdeen, in Bingham County. Police responded to the area at approximately 12:15 p.m.
In the process of rolling the truck, a natural gas pipe was ruptured, causing a leak. Aside from damaging the gas pipe, a fence was destroyed at the intersection after the driver lost control turning west onto 1900 south.
No other vehicles were involved in the incident, which resulted in police closing off the intersection for nearly three hours while officials with the gas company sealed the leak. The accident is still being investigated by authorities. No update on the condition of the driver has been given.
Idaho law permits drivers as young as 15 to operate a vehicle during daylight hours, granted they have completed a written test and logged a specific number of hours behind the wheel At 16, the daylight rule is lifted, and complete, unrestricted licences can be obtained.
It's also not known if the driver was operating the truck legally in the state of Idaho, or if he was an employee or relative of any area potato growers.