A dump truck incident in Yavapai County led to a road closure on Tuesday afternoon after the vehicle veered off an embankment, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) confirmed on X that a portion of Interstate 17 was closed due to the accident, which occurred near State Route 169, in the vicinity of the Flower Pot neighborhood at around 3 p.m. local time.
I-17 SB near SR 169: The right lane is blocked for a crash. pic.twitter.com/pAtsY3Lii7
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) August 20, 2024
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), the truck descended approximately 300 feet down an embankment and was found dangling over a culvert, as reported by 12 News. Hanging over the structure, the damaged highway's guardrail was shown in footage captured by Sky12 close to where the truck eventually came to rest, as described by 12 News.
The driver of the dump truck sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash. While the specific cause of the accident is still undetermined, DPS officials are investigating the matter to understand the precipitating factors that led to the vehicle losing control.
Motorists were advised to avoid the area as officials worked on the scene, diverting traffic and initiating recovery efforts for the heavy vehicle. As of now, there is no official word on when the section of I-17 will be reopened for travel, with the clean-up and investigative operations impacting traffic flow northbound towards Cordes Lake.
