Driver praised following incident on A66.
Manchester-based demolition company KDC has issued a statement on an incident last week in which a Hitachi 670 excavator fell from a low loader while it was being transported.
Whilst apologising for any inconvenience caused by the incident, KDC states categorically that it was in no way responsible for the incident as the machine was being transported by haulier, J.C. Guillespie Limited.
The haulier has issued the following statement:
On Friday morning , 8/9/17, one of our 10 axle low loaders carrying a Hitachi 670 excavator was involved in a serious incident on the A66 in North Yorkshire.
Whilst proceeding along the A66 under escort, our vehicle was forced to take evasive action to avoid a third party vehicle that pulled out from a side road into the path of our low loader.
The forces generated by the emergency braking and steering was so great it caused the excavator to move upon its support blocks and impact the front of the trailer causing substantial damage to the trailer.
Our driver, Mark Lomas, showed incredible judgement and skill in manoeuvring such a large and heavy configuration around the third party vehicle and back across the carriageway so as to avoid a head on collision with oncoming traffic.
The level of driving skill shown by him resulted in there being no injury or loss of life that in any other circumstance would have been inevitable.
In the aftermath of this incident all possible resources were diverted to deal with the situation. The excavator was trans-shipped onto an alternative vehicle and the damaged trailer was disassembled and recovered from site meaning the road was reopened by 17:00.
Due to the level of social media attention and negative communication received after this incident we feel it essential that the true nature of the incident and our subsequent response is known.
In no way was this incident the fault of J.C.Gillespie Liited or its customer whose excavator was being transported.
I would like to thank all the staff at J.C.Gillespie Limited and North Yorkshire Police who assisted in dealing with this incident in such a professional and time efficient manner.
Michael Gillespie
For and on behalf of
J.C.Gillespie Limited
