Fierce wind blows truck off road
The wind blew so hard Friday afternoon that a semi tractor and trailer were blown off U.S.-77 near 180th Road, southeast of Marion.
The trailer was empty when 50+mph winds wailed across the plains, causing the rig to roll on the driver's side and slide across the highway.
The driver, Ronald D. Rupp, 62, Paris, Texas, was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated through the roof of the sleeper cab of the truck. The driver was southbound on the highway at 4 p.m. Friday when the incident occurred.
The tractor lay on its side on the shoulder and the trailer stretched across a deep ditch on the east side of the highway.
The driver was transported by Marion EMS to St. Luke Hospital, reported Marion County Undersheriff Randal Brazil.
The rig was registered to J&H Trucking of Andover.
