Log truck rolls at highway junction

The junction of highways 2 and 56 near Troy can be deadly, as evidenced by the crosses placed on the side of the road to memorialize those killed in accidents. The quick action and driving experience of Brent Fitchett on Tuesday morning prevented the need for another one, according to witness reports.

Fitchett was driving his log truck north on Highway 56, coming down the sloping hill, when his brakes failed. He looked up to see a small passenger vehicle in the intersection ahead of him, but he was unable to stop.

“He veered right around the car,” witness Wade Nichols said. “Then he veered back to the left and that’s when he rolled.”

Nichols, also driving a log truck, was right behind Fitchett on the highway and witnessed the entire incident.

Fitchett, of Heron, said he’s logged and driven those trucks all his life. He saw the car in front of him and was determined to avoid it.

“I ain’t gonna hit her,” he said was his first thought. After going right to avoid the car at the intersection, he veered back to the left to avoid traffic on Highway 2. He was unable to regain control before the truck slid off the road and rolled over onto its side.

“I’m just glad nobody was hurt,” Fitchett said. “It scared the hell out of me.”

Officer Ryland Branam of Montana Motor Carrier Services, the agency responsible for regulation of commercial vehicles, said the defect in the brakes will be investigated further off-site, but he was unable to test the brakes due to a lack of air pressure in the lines.

Branam credited Fitchett’s experience and skill in avoiding injury in the accident. “He did a great job, he’s a good driver,” Branam said.