Dump Truck Carrying 54,000 Pounds Loses Brakes and Crashes in Crestline

Article and photos by Raymond Ray

A truck bound for the Lake Gregory Dam lost it’s brakes today and crashed on Lake Gregory Drive. The driver, Jorge Sepulveda, said that he lost his brakes coming down the 2 miles stretch of Lake Gregory Drive from Highway 18. He stated his truck engine died and he lost air pressure for the brakes. Without the engine running, there was no way to generate the air needed to power the braking system. Multiple attempts were made to restart the engine to no avail. At one point he applied the emergency brake but the braking system overheated and failed.

The truck crashed through a line of boulders at the entrance of the dirt ramp on the corner of Lake Gregory and Outer Lake Gregory Drive. The dirt area is used by the county for cinders, dirt and other material storage during different times of the year.

A resident that lives on Outer Lake Gregory Drive stated that it sounded like lightning had struck his house. He immediately called the fire department to report the accident.

Another local motorist driving down Lake Gregory Drive behind the truck stated that he knew the driver had lost his brakes. “I watched the driver trying to drive through the dirt embankments as he was flying down Lake Gregory Drive. It was obvious he had lost his brakes and he was trying everything he could to slow down and stop” That witness estimated the truck was traveling between 40 and 50 mph after losing control.

Toro Towing was enroute to the scene called by the owner of the trucking company. The driver, Jorge, has been driving trucks for 20 years and has gone through this exact scenario with the drivers that he has trained over the years. “You have to make sure that you don’t overheat your brakes and drive slow, always using your Jake brake and downshifting.” In this case, with school buses, children and other vehicles traveling down the same street, this driver is being hailed as a hero for maintaining control of his truck and crashing it in a controlled manner in the dirt lot.

This is an excerpt from the Live Broadcast at the Scene