Semi-truck carrying a load of pears tips over near highway 6, Thursday

UTAH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) – A semi-truck plunges over a concrete barrier into railroad tracks and spills over 78,000 pounds of pears and apples after taking a sharp turn, Thursday.

On February 25, Utah County Officers say a semi truck was travelling eastbound on SR-6 near mile marker 193 when it approached a curve at a high rate of speed resulting in a collision.

Once crews arrived on scene, officials found the semi to have plunged over a railroad barrier, spilling about 78,000 pounds of fruit in the area.

Reports also indicate that the collision resulted in a fuel leak as well.

According to UHP Trooper Colton Freckleton, the spill caused SR-6 to close down for nearly two hours. The area was then completely cleared late into the evening, he adds.

The Utah County Fire Marshal reminds fellow drivers to avoid taking sharp turns in a ‘punny’ Facebook post.

“Sharp turns and semi-trucks don’t make a great ‘pear’,” writes the marshal. “We responded to this accident [Thursday] on highway 6 and now we are just wondering whether the cargo or the driver ended up with more bruises?”

According to officials, the driver is believed to be doing well and is in okay condition.

When carrying a large load, managing a sharp turn may seem challenging. According to Driver Start here are a few tips on passing one:

When you are passing a turn, centrifugal force affects your vehicle running in the opposite direction from the center. The sharper the turn, the stronger the force, so to avoid diverging and getting off a road, try to hold your vehicle as close to the inner line of the turn as possible.

Suspension elasticity and tires lateral grip usually prevent skidding while you are making the turning maneuver. But in this regard, you should remember that correctly chosen speed is the key factor for passing turns safely regardless of their angles. Start to reduce your speed in advance using the regular brakes. If you are skilled enough to brake by switching the transmission down or even by using brakes and engine at the same time, do it in order to slow your car down while keeping control of the vehicle.

Don’t lose sight of those factors that can affect your car’s motion during passing a turn like heavy stuff placed in the car trunk, low visibility, or moisture on the road surface. All these factors should encourage you to take additional actions and to reduce the vehicle speed even more than it is suggested by steering angle.

Once inside a turn, monitor the turning path and possible changes in the inertia force that tends to push your car out of the road. The main method of preventing this is to choose gear correctly, release the clutch pedal, and press the gas pedal lightly.

When getting out of turn, try to make maximum use of the entire width of the road. While entering into a turn, you need to get closer to the outer edge of your lane, when getting out of the turn, you should be as close to the inner edge of your lane as possible. At the same time, keep in mind what is told about crossing lanes in your permit test study guide, and do not enter the oncoming traffic lane to avoid the risk of collision with a car moving in the opposite direction.

All your actions related to the choice of speed, switching the gearbox or braking should be made in advance before you enter a sharp turn. It is very dangerous to make the maneuvers when you are inside the turn, especially if you make sudden and sharp movements. Make smooth movements and don’t forget to hold the steering wheel with both hands, since you need quite serious efforts to hold and control your car when passing a sharp turn.

As for the speed choice, try to keep to the following rule: reduce the speed before entering a sharp turn, keep it unchanged while passing the turn and slightly increase the speed when getting out of the turn.