The scene of the container truck accident in Cole Bay, as onlookers watched emergency responders at work.
COLE BAY--A truck pulling a container drove into the yard of a private home and overturned shortly after 5:00pm Monday.
The truck driver was travelling downhill on A.J.C. Brouwer Road toward the Osborne Kruythoff roundabout. The driver was moving too fast and, on realising he could not stop, moved into the left lane of the roundabout and apparently tried to turn onto Welfare Road as evidenced by the skid marks left by the truck.
However, this manoeuvre did not work, and the driver lost control of the vehicle, driving into the yard of a private residence and breaking its concrete and wire fence. The truck and container then overturned, leaving the container on its right side and the truck’s trailer bed twisted.
Luckily, the truck and container did not hit any other vehicles, despite having travelled through a roundabout on the opposite side of the road seconds before crashing. A Hyundai Tucson that was parked in the yard of the private residence was also spared major damage, as the container truck landed inches away from the vehicle’s frame.
No one was injured during the accident, said police. One elderly woman who is a resident of the home was treated for shock at the scene by Ambulance Department personnel.
Persons in the area reported smelling diesel fuel coming from the overturned truck. Police have confirmed the truck was leaking fuel from its fuel tank, which was apparently ruptured during the accident. According to police, the St. Maarten Fire Department would monitor the fuel leak overnight to ensure that it does not turn into a fire.
A crane truck was called to lift the container and move it out of the yard.
The Police Traffic Department is busy investigating this incident, said police on Monday night.
