A truck driver was unharmed early Saturday morning after he lost control of his tri-axle truck coming down the Steels Corners hill in Akron’s Merriman Valley.
The truck, which was hauling dirt from a site on State Road to a dump site on Portage Path, was unable to make the sharp 90-degree left turn onto Akron-Peninsula Road and ended up turned on its side in a ravine.
Tom Fiorito, owner of the truck, identified the driver as Dave Crabtree.
“We’re just thankful that no one is hurt,” Fiorito said at the scene at about 9:30 a.m. “He’s real lucky.”
The intersection, which comes off a steep hill, has a history of truck drivers having problems maneuvering the turn.
In 2008, a tanker truck driver died after his truck crashed coming down the same hill.It spilled 3,000 gallons of sulfuric acid and shut down the Akron road all day.
In 2007, another driver was taken to the hospital after he crashed his truck.
In 2006 and 2005, truck drivers hit vehicles before tipping over.
Crabtree said he felt like his brakes failed, but Fiorito said it may be operator error.
“I think it just got away from him,” Fiorito said.