Traffic was disrupted for approximately 45 minutes
BY JIM BEERS, Contributing Writer
CHESTER – A Southern Recycling tractor-trailer had a mishap Tuesday afternoon April 11 at approximately 1:50 p.m. in downtown Chester.
Chester Police direct traffic around the Southern Recycling Center trailer that buckled in the road in front of the First Baptist Church Parsonage in Chester, Tuesday. All photos by Jim Beers.
According to the driver of the Southern Recycling Center truck, the mishap began earlier in the afternoon when he was at Menard Correctional Center picking up a load of recycling items to be delivered to the Southern Recycling Center in Carbondale.
A close up of the buckled recycling trailer that buckled Thursday afternoon April 11 while delivering a load of cans to the home base at Southern Recycling Center in Carbondale, Illinois.
The driver said, “When tin cans were being loaded in the trailer, the fork lift accidentally hit the inside roof of the trailer. One of the braces was “possibly” broken “which might” have created a “potential” weakening of the top of the fiberglass roof.”
A view of the Southern Recycling trailer that buckled in the early afternoon Tuesday April 11 in downtown Chester. The mishap began shortly after the trailer left the Menard Correctional Center and proceeded up the hill towards the Randolph County Courthouse. While making the left hand turn onto State Street, the driver noticed that the trailer had been comprised. By the time the truck drove one block to where the Baptist Church Parsonage is located, the trailer had twisted so badly that the driver had to stop the truck in the middle of the road, Downtown Chester and the Courthouse can be seen in the background.
“By the time I drove up the hill from Menard toward the Randolph County Courthouse, I could already notice that something was wrong with the trailer. As I made the left turn onto State Street, the trailer had begun to buckle a bit.”
“By the time I drove the block from the courthouse to the front of the Baptist Church Parsonage, the trailer had really begun to twist and I was forced to pull over in the road by the Baptist Church. As I waited for the police to arrive, the trailer twisted even more while sitting there.”
J & S Towing of Sparta pulls the disabled Southern Recycling Center truck and trailer off of State Street in Chester onto the Baptist Church parking lot to free traffic that had been waiting patiently for about 15 minutes. From there, the trailer will be unloaded and transferred to another functioning trailer and hauled to the home base at Southern Recycling Center in Carbondale. Jim Beers Photo
Chester Police directed traffic around the accident scene until a J& S Towing Truck from Sparta arrived to access the situation. At that time, traffic was halted while the damaged Southern Recycling truck and trailer was pulled off of State Street onto the Baptist Church parking lot.
Personnel at the scene stated that most likely the damaged trailer would have to unloaded and hauled to another location to be dealt with. No one was injured and traffic was flowing freely shortly before the big 3:00 p.m. after school and shift change rush.
Another view of J&S Towing pulling the disabled Southern Recycling Center truck and trailer off of State Street in Chester and on to the First Baptist Church Parking lot. Jim Beers Photo