An unusual mishap on Monday as two back wheels fell off a Habersham County dump truck and one rolled into a nearby donut shop. The impact shattered the shop’s front window pane, narrowly missing an employee.
The incident happened just before noon at the intersection of New Liberty Road and Historic Highway 441, east of Clarkesville. It caused extensive enough damage to Cowboy Bob’s Coffee and Donuts that the shop is expected to be closed for much of the rest of this week.
Near miss
According to the Georgia State Patrol, the dump truck was traveling south on New Liberty around 11:55 a.m. when the wheels fell off the rear axle. Both wheels continued southbound on the west shoulder of the road. One hit a ditch and landed harmlessly on a residential lawn, while the second traveled nearly a quarter-mile through the intersection at Historic US 441/Hollywood Highway and rolled into Cowboy Bob’s.
The county-owned dump truck was hauling asphalt at the time of the incident. The truck traveled approximately 527 feet after losing its wheels before stopping on the west shoulder of New Liberty Road.
When the runaway wheel hit the wall and window pane at Cowboy Bob’s, it sent glass flying throughout the shop. A customer, an employee, and one of the owners, Paula Kubinchak, were inside when it happened.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
Kubinchak’s husband Bob, aka “Cowboy Bob,” was behind the building with his neighbor when he heard a loud noise. He thought there might have been a car accident. He wasn’t sure what to think when he noticed the traffic was still moving. That’s when his wife informed him about what had happened.
Bob Kubinchak said their employee had just stepped away from the cash register before the wheel hit the building. The register stands just a few feet from where the glass shattered.
“We are very, very, very fortunate and blessed that nobody got hit with that loose tire,” Bob told Now Habersham.
Kubinchak said he’s also thankful for the county’s response to the incident.
“We are so fortunate to live in a great county. I don’t think people realize how fortunate we are to have these services right here. The Habersham road crew was excellent. The fire chief and fire department came out to make sure everybody was ok. I’m pretty proud of this community,” he said.
Pre-trip inspection
Shortly after the incident, Habersham County Human Resources Director Ann Cain and Public Works Director Jerry Baggett were on the scene investigating.
Troopers from Georgia State Patrol Post 7 in Toccoa worked the accident. They identified the driver as 65-year-old Kenneth Wade of Cornelia. According to troopers, Wade was the only one in the dump truck when it happened. He was not injured. The state patrol did not file any charges.
Cain said that Servpro restoration services would be on the scene later in the afternoon to clean up the broken glass and debris.
Baggett told Now Habersham the dump truck operator did a pre-trip inspection on the 2006 model F-750 before putting the truck into service Monday morning. He said the vehicle checked out fine during that inspection.
In a statement issued late Monday, the county said, “We certainly take this very seriously and are very thankful no one was hurt. We are still investigating to determine what might have happened to cause this to happen.”
Kubinchak anticipates his shop will be closed until Saturday morning while they clean up the mess and replace the glass.
