Roadside Rollover Becomes a 50,000lb Challenge
The call came in March. A bucket truck had overturned into a culvert on the 8000 block of Corryton Road in Corryton. It was a serious scene—a 50,000lb truck had veered off the edge of the road and flipped onto its side, resting at the bottom of a steep ditch. Our towing team knew right away that this was going to be a textbook example of Corryton heavy recovery.
Arrival and Assessment
Corryton Road can be narrow in places, with soft shoulders and deep ditches that don’t leave much room for error. When we arrived, the Knox County Sheriff’s Department was already on-site securing the area. The bucket truck had rolled over hard and come to rest in the culvert, heavily damaged and clearly totaled. Given the weight and position of the vehicle, we decided to deploy both our 2024 Peterbilt 75-ton rotator and our 2007 Peterbilt 25-ton wrecker.
Stabilizing Before Recovery
Before we could do anything, we needed to stop the situation from getting worse. The truck was lying on its side, half-submerged in the culvert, with a real risk of rolling over further. We positioned the 25-ton wrecker and used it to stabilize the load, keeping the truck from tipping while the rotator got into place. That one decision saved us a lot of time and prevented any additional damage—or injury.
The Lift
This Corryton heavy recovery was all about planning and communication. Here’s how we handled it:
- Stabilized the load: Our 25-ton wrecker was rigged first to hold the bucket truck steady.
- Rotator positioned for the lift: The 75-ton rotator was then placed at the optimal angle to begin pulling.
- Pulled from the culvert: With careful coordination, we used the rotator to drag the truck sideways out of the ditch.
- Uprighting the vehicle: Once out, we repositioned to upright the vehicle onto its wheels.
- Winched up the embankment: With the truck upright, we used a two-line winch pull to guide it up the bank.
- Towed to shop: The 25-ton wrecker took over for final transport—this vehicle wasn’t going anywhere under its own power.
Between travel time to and from Corryton and the work itself, the whole job took four and a half hours. The location alone meant over an hour’s drive each way. We couldn’t have completed this Corryton heavy recovery without both wreckers working together. The rotator had the muscle to move the truck, but it was the 25-ton unit that kept the scene stable. That combination gave us control over every step of the process. Even though the truck was a total loss due to the rollover, we were able to recover it without causing further damage or delay.
Casper’s Wrecker Service: Every Corryton Heavy Recovery Done Right
Not every day brings a culvert rollover with 50,000 pounds of equipment stuck in the mud. But that’s the nature of Corryton heavy recovery jobs. Every operation is unpredictable, challenging, and never routine. At Casper’s Wrecker Service, we’re always ready with the right team, the right tools, and a plan that works in the moment. This Corryton heavy recovery job showed how important it is to stay sharp, communicate clearly, and trust the process.
We’ve handled dozens of Corryton heavy recovery jobs, and each one reminds us that no two calls are ever the same. It’s about problem-solving under pressure and working together to get the job done safely and thoroughly.
And yes, we were covered in mud by the end—but that’s just part of the job.