Strong winds toppled a semitruck on Interstate 10 westbound at the Bonnet Carré Spillway Monday afternoon, causing hourslong traffic delays and a close call for nearby drivers.
Jerry Hanna of St. Amant witnessed the crash while driving on the highway. Hanna was pulling a trailer and running low on fuel.
“I seen the truck lean a little bit, maybe enough to maybe notice, and at that point, I decided we were driving into the storm. Seemed like the winds were gonna be getting worse,” Hanna said.
Unable to safely stop his car, Hanna pulled out his phone and recorded the moment the semitruck tipped over, sparks flying as it hit the ground and narrowly missing another car.
“I mean, it’s once in a lifetime you get to see something like that,” Hanna said.
Louisiana State Police said the truck was empty when it was blown over around 2:40 p.m. The driver sustained minor injuries, but no one else was hurt.
“A lot of times in my career, I responded to the crashes after they happened. So, rarely do we get the video like this,” Troop NOLA Public Information Officer Danny Berrincha said.
The crash site was cleared just before 6 p.m., but Berrincha offered advice for drivers as stormy weather continues.
“Be a little defensive when you’re out there and don’t rush,” Berrincha said.
For eyewitnesses like Hanna, the incident serves as a stark reminder of how quickly things can change. The driver is on his mind Monday evening.
“You ask this guy 15, 20 minutes before it happened what he had planned for the rest of the day, I’m sure he would have said something vastly different from what actually happened,” Hanna said.
Louisiana State Police confirmed the truck driver was not taken to the hospital, but no further updates on their condition were available Monday night.
READ MORE:Semitruck blown over by strong winds on I-10 causes hourslong traffic delays
