ASH FORK, ARIZONA — First responders were alerted to an overturned tractor-trailer on westbound Interstate 40 near milepost 143 just after midnight on August 22 by an iPhone crash alert, and when they arrived to find the driver already out of the truck and uninjured, it was not long before paramedics noticed a strong smell of alcohol on him and things took a different turn.
Ash Fork Volunteer Fire Department, AZDPS, and Life Line Ambulance responded around 12:30 a.m. The truck had overturned in the median with no other vehicles involved. The driver, the only occupant, had already exited and declined medical transport. While assessing him, Life Line medics detected a distinct odor of alcohol and notified the AZDPS trooper on scene. The driver failed field sobriety tests and was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
The driver told authorities that a car had cut into his lane, passed him, and then slammed on its brakes, causing him to swerve, leave the roadway, and roll the truck. Responders noted that regardless of contributing factors, the outcome remained the same, a commercial vehicle rolled and a driver was impaired.
The overturned trailer had been hauling organic sunflower seeds, which spilled from the wreckage but posed no environmental hazard. Fuel lines were sheared in the crash and actively leaking, but because the batteries and ignition were inaccessible, crews clamped the lines and deployed absorbent material to contain the spill. Murphy’s Towing was called to remove the wreckage.
“Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs constitutes a dangerous choice and a serious criminal offense, particularly when operating a commercial vehicle. This incident will undoubtedly result in significant consequences; however, we are fortunate that no lives were lost,” Ash Fork Fire said.
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