Driver escapes unharmed after tractor-trailer loaded with lobster overturns

A truck operator escaped injury when the tractor-trailer he was driving overturned on a sharp turn near the base of Kelly's Mountain in Cape Breton, N.S. Saturday morning, May 3.

RCMP Cpl. Ron MacDonald, with Cape Breton Traffic Services, said the truck was transporting a load of lobster from Newfoundland to Prince Edward Island when the accident occurred around 7:30 a.m. on Highway 105.

The load on the tractor-trailer shifted and the truck was unable to make the turn, causing it to overturn into the ditch.

The driver wasn't injured and no other vehicles were involved.

"The tractor trailer is pretty much demolished. It's amazing there wasn't (any serious injuries)," said MacDonald, noting the driver was wearing a seat belt.

Police, fire and EHS officials responded to the accident and it took several hours to clear the scene. The highway was also closed to traffic while tow crews worked to get the truck upright in order to remove it.

The sharp turn has been the scene of numerous overturned tractor-trailers over the years, according to MacDonald, who said they respond to about four or five such incidents each year at the same location.

(From the Cape Breton Post, Transcontinental Media)