Parker Eshelman photo

Firefighters extricate a dump truck driver yesterday afternoon after the truck he was driving overturned and left a pile of dirt on top of a car at Stadium Boulevard and Old 63.

Ryan Hart was stopped at a red light yesterday afternoon when he saw a frightening scene: a dump truck headed directly for him.

"I thought he was going to hit us head on," Hart said. "I thought I was a goner."

As it turned out, Hart, 21, ended up only having to wash a load of dirt off his 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and fix some minor body damage to a fender.

Hart recreated the situation while surveying the damage shortly after 2 p.m. at Stadium Boulevard and Old 63. He was stopped at a red light in an eastbound lane when he noticed the dump truck coming toward him. The dump truck driver then apparently swerved to avoid him, overturned, and lost a pile of dirt around and on top of Hart’s car.

The dump truck driver was identified as James Stoner, 22, of Moberly. The truck is registered to Triple S Hauling of Columbia, the same company that employed a helicopter pilot who crash landed shortly after takeoff about an hour earlier across town.

Gene Williams, a community service aid with the Columbia Police Department, said Stoner was unable to stop the truck at the red light as he was traveling westbound on Stadium. Stoner swerved to avoid a southbound car that had entered the intersection. The load of dirt shifted, causing the truck to overturn, Williams said.

Stoner suffered cuts to one of his hands, Williams said. He remained in good condition today at University Hospital.

Considering the size of the vehicle and the amount of traffic at the intersection, the situation could have been worse, Williams said.

"It’s fortunate he was able to avoid that one," Williams said, describing the southbound car. "That would’ve been ugly."

Hart said he and a friend were in his car, returning to work in Jefferson City after eating lunch at a restaurant in west Columbia.

Hart said he had washed the Monte Carlo and cleaned the interior the day before, but he wasn’t upset given what else could have happened. He said he and his friend were lucky.

"He was going to hit us, but he flipped himself," Hart said. "Basically, he just dropped his load on me."

Immediately after the accident, Hart said, he and the passenger saw fluid leaking from the dump truck and rushed out of his car. Several bystanders had already surrounded the tow truck and called for help, he said.

"Even if I had been in the left lane … ugh," Hart said.

Stoner was issued a citation for failing to stop at a red light, Williams said.

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