This International truck lost its brakes coming down the Caribou Trail on Thursday, July 14. The driver, Stacey Kelly, 44, Eveleth, was able to slow the vehicle enough to come to a halt on Highway 61, but the load of logs on the trailer broke loose. Fortunately no one was injured and traffic was able to continue to use one lane of the highway while cleanup took place.
Cook County Law Enforcement received a call at 9:16 a.m. on Thursday, July 14 reporting that a logging truck had rolled over and off the road at the bottom of the Caribou Trail in Lutsen. Sheriff deputies, State Patrol, Lutsen Fire Department and First Responders, and Cook County Ambulance were all dispatched, but fortunately it was not a rollover. The logging truck, driven by Stacey Kelly, 44, of Eveleth, had not rolled over, but the load of logs did come loose.
State Patrol Officer Chris Thostenson said Kelly told him he lost his brakes as he came down the Caribou Trail. Kelly was able to slow the semi-truck enough to successfully make a right-hand turn onto Highway 61, however, the centrifugal force of the turn threw the logs off of the truck.
There was no damage to the truck. Another truck belonging to the trucking company was in the area and was able to assist with retrieval of the logs. Highway 61 was reduced to one traffic lane for the afternoon.
Kelly was cited for disobeying a stop sign.
At the Tuesday, July 19 Lutsen Town Meeting, Lutsen Fire Chief Paul Goettl reported on the accident and said, “It could have been really bad, but fortunately it wasn’t.”
Goettl told the town board that the logging truck was one of three fire calls in July. The fire department responded to a car fire on Lichen Lake Road. A Subaru was destroyed by fire. The fire department also assisted Lutsen Mountains Ski Hill with an electrical fire in a maintenance building.
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