Road Closed and Home Almost Burned Down in Semi Crash

The driver of a semithat overturned in Miller County, Georgia, is in jail on drunk driving charges. The truck he was driving caught fire after it overturned.

Responding police say both the driver and passenger in the semi got out of the vehicle safely.

Police and firefighters responded to the emergency vehicle accident report. They were on the scene all through the night Saturday and into the afternoon on Sunday.

The truck had gone off the road near the yard of a residential home. It careened a few houses down and crashed into a ditch.

Neighbors reported hearing what sounded like an explosion when the front of tractor went up in flames. “I heard the booms, and it sounded like it was exploding in my house,” a neighbor exclaimed.

When the noise woke her up, another neighbor ran out into her yard and called 911 after she saw flames shooting from the semi’s trailer. “The awareness of the citizens and their later helpfulness is probably one of the primary reasons more damage wasn’t done. They are to be applauded,” a witness from Manhattan says.

Grass near the homes caught on fire. Upon investigation, fuel marks showed that flames had reached within feet of a home with a family inside.

The sight daunted some of the neighbors who witnessed the burning. “It looked like the flames were on the porch,” said one.

Those close by used their garden hoses to contain the flames until firefighters arrived. Firefighters had to cut off the top of the trailer to extinguish the fire.

A rep applauds the neighbors for working together to help one another escape serious property loss.

Rescue crews worked more than 16 hours attempting to remove the wreckage.

According to police, the truck was hauling home goods and other items at the time of the crash.

The truck driver was an employee with Wiley Sanders Truck Line out of Troy, Alabama and Long Island. The company did not comment on the wreck or its employee.

The DUI-charged driver is being held at the Miller County Jail.

The passenger in the semi-truck at the time of the accident said she was asleep when they wrecked. She was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital.

Big trucks can easily cause a lot of damage to personal property when their drivers are irresponsible behind the wheel. Should you suffer loss in this way, be sure to contact a New York Truck Accident Attorney to file your claims and suits.