GORST — A Port Angeles man rolled a truck and trailer carrying a full load of crushed cars Wednesday morning, prompting the three-hour closure of state Highway 16 about two miles south of Bremerton.
Timothy K. Anton, 41, was driving the load to a Tacoma-area recycler when he rolled the vehicle at about 7:40 a.m. on a curve in the highway. The turn connects the road with state Highway 3, which he had just exited.
Anton, who drives for Fred’s Auto Wrecking in Port Angeles, was treated at the scene for a minor injury, likely a face laceration, State Patrol spokeswoman Trooper Krista Hedstrom said.
No one else was hurt or involved in the wreck.
Anton was cited for diving too fast for the curve, but his actual speed in the 40 mph zone is unknown, Hedstrom said.
“He was in the inside lane and he just took the corner too fast,” she said.
“He lost control, flipped over on the passenger side, and butted up against the guardrail.”
Several crushed cars, which only had a synthetic net to contain them, were dumped onto the shoulder.
Hedstrom said the cars were supposed to be contained with steel. Along with a $175 fine for driving too fast for the turn, Anton also received a citation for an unsecured load, she said.
Hedstrom said the company also was fined for defective equipment, which is not believed to have contributed to the wreck.
The unsecured load and equipment violations totaled $248, she said.
Hedstrom said Anton told troopers that he had 20 years of commercial driving experience.
The 17-year-old truck — which was completely destroyed, the State Patrol said — spilled about 100 gallons of fuel.
The spill was cleaned up by the state Department of Ecology, Hedstrom said.
The state Department of Transportation also repaired a guard rail that was damaged by the crushed cars, she said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
