Truck driver narrowly misses being struck by a backhoe ‘cartwheeling’ through the air

Dash cam footage from MVP rentals showing the first semi-truck hitting the Porterville Road Bridge. | MVP Rentals BLACKFOOT — A truck driver with MVP Rentals in Rigby describes the harrowing moments as she watched the semi-truck in front of her smash through a bridge Tuesday afternoon. Tabitha La Fountaine Farley, an employee with MVP Rentals, says she was transporting Porta Potties to an event in Fort Hall when she suddenly felt the need to slow down. “I heard the noise before I saw the dust. Once I saw the dust, I knew that I was having a bridge come down on me,” says Farley. “The only thing I could think of was ‘Don’t lose the Porta Potties!’” RELATED | Two semi-trucks damage Porterville Road Bridge; I-15 reopens According to a news release from Idaho State Police, a 1986 Peterbilt semi-truck hauling two backhoes, driven by a 36-year-old male from New Plymouth, was traveling northbound when it struck the Porterville Road Bridge in Bingham County. The backhoe then fell into the median. A top down view of the traffic after the crash. Farleys trailer is visible. | Courtesy Julie Thompson Frans Farley says she drove underneath the bridge right after the first semi-truck struck it, and luckily, her dash camera captured the entire incident. See footage of the incident in the player above, and watch Farley’s reaction in the player below. “You can’t see it in the footage, but (the backhoe) does a cartwheel above (my truck),” says Farley. “I could see it up in the air before it actually came down in front of the truck.” jQuery().ready(function(){var player = videojs(“hls-20250807124958”);}) video#hls-20250807124958{} Two cars behind Farley, a 2013 Volvo semi-truck was also hauling two backhoes traveling northbound. It was driven by a 47-year-old male from Las Vegas, Nevada, and it also struck the bridge, according to the news release. Dash cam footage from MVP rentals showing the first semi-truck hitting the Porterville Road Bridge. | MVP Rentals Farley credits the driver of a small pickup truck driving behind her with knowing what to do when two semis crashed into the bridge just seconds apart. “There was a little pickup behind me, which I’m thankful he knew how to drive, because I had a long trailer behind me,” says Farley. Oddly enough, Farley says she had just watched a video the night before on what to do if a vehicle in front of you crashes on the highway. Damage to the bridge. | Idaho Department of Transportation “It said to drive as if you were in the snow,” says Farley. “Pump your brakes, don’t slam on them, because you’ll cause an accident behind you.” The damage to Farley’s truck was mostly cosmetic, she says, and she credits MVP rentals for giving her the proper training to drive through anything. Impressively, she also got to the scheduled event on time. “Just mind what you’re doing. Don’t be on your phone, don’t be looking down. There are so many drivers that I see that are just, on the daily, looking at something other than the road,” says Farley. If I wasn’t looking at the road, it could have been very bad.” Interstate 15 reopened in the area at around 11 p.m. Tuesday, and the Porterville Road Bridge will be shut down until further notice as the Idaho Transportation Department works to repair it. Brandon Farley and Tabitha La Fountaine Farley | | Kaitlyn Hart, EastIdahoNews.com The post Truck driver narrowly misses being struck by a backhoe ‘cartwheeling’ through the air appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com