According to Adam Shelton, public information officer for the California Highway Patrol office in Tracy, both trucks were driving east on Byron Road just after 11 a.m. when Robert Sidney Hatcher, 62, of Louisville, Tenn., attempted to make a right turn onto Mountain House Parkway.
Hatcher’s truck was straddling the white line separating the left lane from the right turn lane, Shelton said.
Jose Cristobal Rocha Velazquez, 31, the driver of the second tractor-trailer, was trying to go straight through the intersection when Hatcher allegedly struck his truck and forced it off the road. Velazquez’s truck mangled a guardrail and took down a stoplight before stopping on Mountain House Parkway.
The back end of the truck’s trailer tipped, causing a roll of steel wire to fall off the bed, which had only two rolls of wire as its load.
A city of Tracy fire crew and tow truck workers spent more than an hour devising a plan to lift the trailer and the steel wire, which Velazquez said at the scene weighs about 24,000 pounds.
Velazquez, who is from Waterford, said he delivers the wire daily from Pittsburg to Merced.
“He tried to make a right turn from the left lane, and I had to go with him,” he said. “I’m lucky — I could’ve been killed.”
CHP officer Trevor Seal, who is the investigating officer, said he did not expect to file charges in the crash. No injuries were reported, and no other passengers were involved.
As of 2 p.m., police still had the right turn from Byron Road to Mountain House Parkway and the parkway from Byron Road to Arnaudo Boulevard blocked to traffic while crews cleared the crash scene.
Most of the people who drive these things are illegal immigrants and/or total meth heads.
When I worked for ups the truck drivers were legit. But another company, they hired the lowest and cheapest. People who could barley speak English, speed freaks, the list goes on..
These were the types of drivers that made drunk drivers look harmeless
But sorry, I have lived in this truck stop town long enough to know that most of these guys should not be on the road. And most drugs not called 'weed' are out of your system with in days, sometimes even hours.
And they have plenty of drinks to cheat drug tests too.
ChrisRoberts says: "But sorry, I have lived in this truck stop town long enough to know that most of these guys should not be on the road."
How long would that be Chris and what does living anywhere have to do with your knowledge of the drivers involved or the regulations under which they operate? You are making an assumption on some sort of bias that undermines your credibilty. You contribute nothing but your skewed opinion.
I've noticed your comments concerning anything in Tracy are negative. You obviously hate Tracy for some reason. If it's so bad pack your belonings and move on. No one forces you to stay. Upon leaving don't let the gate hit you in the a$$.
Let me get this straight, the truck in the left lane tried to make a right turn onto MH parkway and by doing so cut off the other truck in the right lane? I think the real problem is not the truck making the left turn, but the idiot Velazquez that tried to pass the truck in the right lane. One, you don't pass in the right lane - ever. Two, that's not a passing lane. Byron Hwy is only one lane each direction and only opens up there to two lanes at the intersection mainly for cars to make a right turn without impeeding cars going straight. So one truck tries to make a right turn from the left lane which is perfectly normal for a truck to do because they make wide turns and the other truck tries to pass him on the right in a short lane. I think the truck on the right belonging to Mr. Velazquez is at fault. You also have to ask yourself why would you pass on the right when the car to your left is slowing down considerably and you know trucks make wide turns. I'll be Mr. Velazquez hit the gas trying to pass him too. Irresponsible.