HOUSTON – A cement truck landed on a divider wall Wednesday after it flipped over in southwest Houston.
The crash was reported about 5:45 a.m. on Beltway 8 just before Hillcroft Avenue.
Video from SKY 2 showed the truck’s cement tank had fallen off the vehicle and spilled cement across several lanes on either side of the center divider wall. Crews could be seen using shovels to move the wet cement back into the tank.
Authorities said around 5:30 a.m. the cement truck driver struck a barrier wall and slid down it, knocking over a few light poles along the way.
"It's unbelievable that he actually survived out of it, a very lucky individual," said Deputy Constable Terry Thurman, of the Harris County Toll Road Incident Management Division.
Adding to the traffic nightmare, the truck broke apart in pieces, causing cement to spill across lanes of traffic.
Authorities briefly blocked westbound lanes as they maneuvered the mixer onto a tow truck while workers did their best to sweep up the cement before it dried.
The tow truck driver was taken to a hospital. Authorities said they expect him to be OK.
While traffic is able to get by the scene in both directions, significant delays are to be expected in the area.
Check real-time traffic conditions at Click2Houston.com/traffic.