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US 20 rollover

Trucker says car forced him to swerve

-Messenger photo by Joe Sutter A tow truck and crane from MidIowa Towing carefully lift this semi upright after it overturned on Old Highway 20 Monday afternoon southwest of Fort Dodge. The road was closed for more than half an hour.

Old Highway 20 was closed for at least half an hour Monday afternoon after a semitrailer heading southwest of Fort Dodge tipped over in the middle of the left lane.

The driver said a car suddenly stopped or slowed in front of him, forcing him to swerve.

The other vehicle left the scene of the accident, which happened about 2:15 p.m., according to Webster County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Van Waes.

No one was hurt, including the driver, Russ Bates, of Steamboat Rock, Van Waes said.

Bates felt fortunate; it could have been a lot worse.

-Messenger photo by Joe Sutter A MidIowa towing worker looks over a semi that overturned on Old Highway 20 southwest of Fort Dodge Monday. No one was hurt in the incident.

“It was kind of ugly,” he said.

Bates said the car came up in front of him “out of nowhere.” When he tried to swerve to the ditch, the car tried to swerve the same way to get out of his way. Bates ended up in the left lane, brakes squealing, and lost control when trying to get back in his own lane.

The road just outside White Transfer & Storage Co. was blocked for a time as two tow trucks from MidIowa Towing set the truck upright.

The truck was from TSL Transportation, of Nebraska.

The Moorland Fire Department also responded to the scene for fluid cleanup and helped with traffic control.

-Messenger photo by Joe Sutter A truck ended up on its side after the driver said a car slowed suddenly or stopped in front of him, forcing him to swerve. Traffic was reduced to one lane around the truck, before the road was closed down completely to allow crews to set it upright.

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