Tractor trailer rollover shuts down Rt.11 for nearly 12 hours

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC

For nearly 12 hours on Thursday, Route 11 at Elm Street in Chester was closed as emergency crews worked to recover a tractor trailer that rolled over while exiting Gold River Industrial Park.

According to a Chester Police press release, Howard Hubert Jardine, 58, of Arlington Mass. cut the corner too sharply as he turned onto Rt. 11 to travel west. The rear of the trailer left the road causing the weight of the load to pull it and the cab over onto its passenger side.

The truck was carrying diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) which is used as part of a process to reduce air pollution from diesel engines. Police Chief Thomas Williams told The Telegraph that the Chester Fire Department and the Chester Ambulance responded to the call and the fire department contained a small spill.

Recovering the truck was a long process involving cutting a hole in the tanker and suctioning out the contents before a heavy wrecker could put the vehicle back on its wheels.

Williams said the first call was received just before 12:30 p.m. on Thursday and the scene was cleared at just after midnight on Friday morning. The press release stated that Jardine was uninjured and received a warning for failing to keep his vehicle on the travel portion of the road.

In addition to the town’s police, fire and ambulance, the Vermont State Hazardous Materials Team, State Fire Marshals, Chester Highway Department, Vermont Rail System assisted at the scene. Read Truck Services recovered the truck.