LUCERNE — Highway 20 was blocked for almost four hours Thursday morning after a big rig overturned and spilled its load of plywood in the road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Highway 20 was closed between its junction with Highway 29 in Upper Lake and its junction with Highway 53 in Clearlake Oaks, according to CHP officer Adam Garcia. He said only area residents were allowed through while a Caltrans crew cleaned up the lumber, and the highway was re-opened at approximately 8:30 a.m.
“It”s still under investigation, but it appears that the driver was going too fast for the curve,” Garcia said.
At approximately 4:45 a.m., Sacramento resident Joshua Cellars was driving a 2000 Peterbilt tractor-trailer east on Highway 20 at Paradise Cove. According to preliminary investigation, the driver”s speed, roadway conditions and the weight of the load caused it to flip onto its right side when Cellars navigated a curve.
“It (the load) just covered a small area, but it was a lot of wood,” Garcia said.
Cellars was hauling the load of plywood for Inter City, Inc. He suffered minor injuries, which Garcia said included scrapes. Cellars had no passengers, and he is not suspected of having been under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident. Garcia said no other vehicles were involved.
According to the online CHP traffic incident log, the truck also spilled approximately a quarter-tank of diesel fuel. The Lake County Office of Emergency was notified at 5:56 a.m., and Garcia said emergency personnel quickly contained the spill.
CHP officer Nick Powell is investigating the incident.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
