Chief lauds driver of runaway truck

When a dump truck filled with gravel lost the ability to brake Saturday, its driver used a series of trees to avoid hitting cars and eventually came to a stop after running into a house.

Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial said no one was seriously injured. However, he said the truck was totaled and the home received a lot of damage.

“The way [the driver] responded and what he did by turning off the road probably saved people from serious injuries if not death,” Dial said.

The truck from T-Bend Construction was pulling out of Iron Horse when the incident occurred. Dial said the truck was filled with gravel and was pulling an excavator when its brakes stopped working while traveling downhill on Murdock Lane.

Instead of risking running into traffic on Lakeshore Drive, the driver pulled off on Suncrest Drive, an uphill route that helped slow the vehicle down.

When the driver realized he wouldn’t be able to stop before possibly harming other vehicles on the road, he aimed for a series of trees and the truck continued until it ran into the house.

The owners of the home were there at the time but were not harmed, Dial said.

He said there was a lot of damage to the house, both from the truck and from a tree falling on the house.

“The driver really handled the situation well, and we’re happy no one was seriously hurt,” Dial said.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.