Truck hits median, shuts down U.S. 20 bypass
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. – A truck accident on Tuesday morning shut down a stretch of the U.S. 20 Bypass for almost three hours. Police said a truck carrying dirt blew a tire, hit the median, and even caught fire. The highway was closed down from the Ironwood to 331 exits. Police said the truck was traveling westbound on the bypass near the Ironwood exit. That’s when the front driver’s tire blew and caused the driver to lose control. The truck hit the median and continued to skid down the highway. Onlookers said the truck caught fire immediately and dumped most of the dirt it was carrying along the road. "Then skidded all the way down on top of the wall, lost his dirt on the other side, and skidded all the way down the wall engulfed in flames," said witness Jim Mack. Mack said it was shocking to witness, and even police were surprised to see that the driver made it out ok. "When we first pulled up on the scene it was pretty drastic looking and we were pretty surprised that the driver was able to get out," said Sgt. Bill Redman with St. Joseph County Police. The driver was taken to Memorial Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The bypass was re-opened after the scene was cleared.