Truck carrying 48K pounds of wine overturns on Hwy. 132
Officers: Quick thinking of big rig driver may have saved lives
A big rig carrying thousands of pounds of bottled wine overturned Wednesday morning after it clipped a van in Stanislaus County, officers said.
The truck was going about 55 mph at about 6:30 a.m. on westbound Highway 132 in a very rural area when the van crossed in front of it, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The driver of the big rig tried to avoid the van, but clipped the rear of the vehicle, causing the big rig to roll over, officials said.
Inside the truck was 48,000 pounds of wine, much of which was spilled in the crash.
Two farmworkers from Merced were inside the van. Both were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The driver of the truck, who is from Ceres, was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Officers said if it wasn't for the quick reaction of the big rig driver, the men in the van may not have survived the crash.
Both directions of Highway 132 were closed for a couple of hours as crews worked to get the truck out of the roadway.