by Stephen Rivers
- High winds near Dumas, Texas, flipped a semi truck on US-287.
- The sheriff urged empty trailers to wait until winds weaken.
- Gusts reportedly reached dangerous levels across the Panhandle.
Highways are unpredictable places, especially when the weather decides to make a point. While most drivers worry about traffic or slick pavement, high winds rarely top the list of highway hazards. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what one tractor-trailer driver faced today in Dumas, Texas. Video captured the moments as the wind pushed their trailer over and took the tractor with it.
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According to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office, a semi truck overturned in the northbound lanes of US-87/287 near Dumas. The crash blocked the entire highway for several hours, so authorities rerouted traffic west on Texas Highway 354 while crews cleared the wreckage.
Weather conditions during the incident were extreme, even by Panhandle standards. The National Weather Service had issued a High Wind Warning covering Moore County and surrounding areas, with sustained winds in the 35–45 mph (56–72 km/h) range and gusts reportedly reaching up to 70 mph (113 km/h).
Captured this semi flipping with @BlakeBrownWx south of Dumas, TX#txwx
pic.twitter.com/RdXINVRtm4
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office admonished drivers with empty trailers to avoid driving until winds died down.
Video from the incident shows the crash. At first, the truck lightly bounces off the road before the trailer lifts into the air. It’s unclear what, if any, steering input the driver attempts. It doesn’t appear as though they attempt to countersteer. Regardless of their actions, the trailer and its momentum prove more than enough to flip the tractor onto its passenger side.
It’s unclear how the occupants fared, but the video does show at least two of them escaping the truck via the driver’s side window. Notably, the sheriff’s office originally indicated that this accident wasn’t the only one involving a truck that had flipped over during the day.
At least one storm chaser documented a separate incident involving a standard pickup truck towing a trailer. Although that vehicle did not overturn, the wind appears to have contributed to it jackknifing on the highway.
First bad Jack knife with injuries to the driver's face here on highway 87 south of Dumas Texas do to losing control in high winds @NWSAmarillo #txwx #wxtwitter pic.twitter.com/OIX6VSWYqF
