U.S. 63 on ramp closes temporarily after semitrailer rolls

COLUMBIA — The southbound U.S. 63 on ramp located off Paris Road was closed temporarily after a semitrailer rolled onto its side.

The trailer, which was carrying PVC piping, shifted its load as it turned right onto the ramp at about 1 p.m. Saturday. After landing on its side, the driver of a Dollar General truck and another driver stopped to call the police and help the driver out of the passenger side.

"Everything happened in slow motion — next thing I knew, I was on my side," said Bob Anderson, who was driving the truck. "A couple good citizens stopped and jumped on top of the door and helped me out."

Anderson suffered from shoulder pain, but decided not to go to the hospital.

"I landed on my shoulder, but it's probably just bruised," Anderson said. "I can't move it too much."

Anderson, who was driving the pipes from Kentucky to North Dakota, said the load had already shifted earlier in the day.

"We just straightened out the load on I-70," Anderson said, pointing to the pipes. "We retied it, but when I came around the curve, this is where I ended up."

Although he was unable to identify all of the damage while the trailer was on its side, Anderson said there was clear damage underneath the truck bed.

Anderson, who drives for MMT Incorporated in Tennessee, said the accident marked another unfortunate event for his boss, Josh Jolly. Two nights earlier, Anderson said, someone broke into the safe at Jolly's shop.

"He's having a bad couple of days," Anderson said. "He doesn't have anything to be jolly about."