Driver, dog unhurt in semi rollover

Published 10:25 am Friday, August 8, 2014

A Mower County Sheriff's deputy walks through the wreckage of a semi that overturned south of Austin Thursday afternoon on Highway 218. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

A Mower County Sheriff’s deputy walks through the wreckage of a semi that overturned south of Austin Thursday afternoon on Highway 218. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

A semi driver and his dog only sustained minor injuries in a rollover that did extensive damage to a semi on U.S. Highway 218 about three miles south of Austin just before noon Thursday.

The southbound semi went off the road, flipped and spilled its cargo, which Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Tim Freden said was granite or another countertop or construction material.

“[It] did a fair amount of damage to his truck,” Freden said.

The dog belonging to the driver of a semi that rolled south of Austin on Highway 218 Thursday afternoon sits by the wreckage. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

The dog belonging to the driver of a semi that rolled south of Austin on Highway 218 Thursday afternoon sits by the wreckage. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

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Due to the weight of the material, which spilled behind the overturned truck, Freden expected the cleanup would take as long as four to five hours. However, the semi and cargo were in the ditch, so he didn’t expect it to impede traffic.

The driver walked away with a few cuts but declined medical attention.

“I’m just glad he wasn’t hurt,” Freden said.

The cause of the crash was unknown.