Trailer carrying pipes tips over

A trailer, which was transporting new Barbados Water Authority (BWA) pipes for storage at The Belle Pumping Station, tipped over on its side along University Hill yesterday morning.
No one was injured, but there was damage to a university sign and a hedge as well as close to ten per cent of the new pipes for the BWA’s multi-million dollar rehabilitation project.
Procure man for the project, Gregory Gaskin, told the DAILY NATION that seven shipments of pipe had been transported between Tuesday and yesterday before the accident occurred.
“It’s unfortunate and I would hope we don’t have a recurrence of this stuff, because we got about 90 containers to move in the coming weeks,” Gaskin said.
He estimated that the spilled equipment was worth about US$40 000.
“It’s just one of those things that happen in trucking. Things do happen.”
Gaskin said they expected to ship another 24 containers next week. He was certain that yesterday’s minor setback would not delay the project and that the first set of pipes to replace  the old ones would be laid in January.
Owner of the shipping company, Calvin Alkins, was on site but he declined comment. Driver of the trailer, Hance Brewster, put the accident down to equipment failure.
He said his years of experience kicked in when he felt the trailer tipping, and he was forced to counter steer to prevent the truck from overturning as well.
Brewster said he was accustomed to driving large vehicles so it was “basic instinct” that took over, and he did not experience a moment of fear.
“Nothing so don’t deter me, things does happen,” the 39-year-old said. That was just a mishap. It wasn’t my fault, just equipment failure.”
(YB)