Driver arrested after scrap-metal truck flipped on I-75 near Georgetown
The driver of a tractor-trailer carrying scrap metal that flipped over on I-75 north of Georgetown Wednesday morning snarling traffic for hours has been charged with driving under the influence and wanton endangerment in the second degree.
Eddie Hart, spokesman for the Scott County sheriff’s office, said Paul David Bauer, 38, of Cincinnati, has been lodged in the Scott County Detention Center.
“Several witnesses stated they observed reckless driving by the driver prior to the accident,” Hart said.
Baurer told authorities he had been taking prescription pills, Hart said. He said the driver was treated for minor injuries at the Georgetown hospital.
The truck was hauling 73,000 pounds of scrap metal and was with JCOT Trucking in in Elsmere, Hart said.
A call to the company was not returned.
Hart said the sheriff’s office got a call about 8:45 a.m. that a tractor-trailer had overturned on I-75 northbound near the 129 mile marker.
“Debris and diesel fuel l blocked all three northbound lanes and crossed over to two of the three southbound lanes,” said Hart.
“Due to the heavy holiday traffic, this accident quickly created a large traffic backup on both northbound and southbound I-75.”
Dozens of officers from several law enforcement gencies along with Emergency Management officials, worked to divert traffic off I-75 and onto side roads until the roadway could be reopened early Wednesday afternoon, Hart said.
Crews cleaned up the hazardous waste from the diesel spill, he said.
Hart dismissed a comment from the National Weather Service in Louisville that said winds of 50 miles per hour in the area were “at least a contributing factor” to the accident.
“The driver and no one else there said anything about high winds,” Hart said.
“All of this could have been much, much worse,” he added.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 10:00 AM.
