Highway 111 Back Open After 2 Rollovers

Hwy 111 between Palm Springs and Snow Creek was a traffic mess Thursday morning.

A couple of trucks overturned in both directions. A UPS truck heading north couldn’t outdo the high winds. Its rear trailer overturned.

A big rig going south also overturned and ended up blocking all lanes.

The drivers were not hurt. One of them had to break the windshield to get out.

“He said he was going very slow and the wind picked up his trailer and the whole trailer went over in a matter of seconds,” said CHP Officer Jim Moran.

Officer Moran said the two incidents were unexpected. A wind advisory was not in effect at the time the trucks were passing through the highway at approximately 6 a.m.

Winds are expected to last another day.

“We’re probably not going to move the truck out of the road,” said Officer Moran. “We’re just going to pull it off into the dirt and open the roadway for traffic. We’re going to leave it out here until the wind dies down because they can’t upright it in the wind.”

Residents at nearby Windy Point neighborhood said the wind truly was ferocious.

“Last few days it’s been kicking up,” said Mark Jamison. “Then last night, it was blowing real bad.”

Jamison, a former truck driver, understood how dangerous it can be driving through these gusts.

“You come driving through here with an 18-wheeler when they’re empty and it’s like a big old kite,” he said. “It’ll blow it over.”

The CHP said both overturned trucks were too light. The big rig blocking all lanes was carrying only a couple thousand pounds of auto parts. The UPS’ rear trailer was empty.

CHP advises only low vehicles may drive on Hwy 111. Trucks, trailer and recreational vehicles are prohibited until further notice.