Sierra County Grader Tips Over on Galloway Road

SIERRA COUNTY — Sierra County Public Works crews dealt with two equipment emergencies on Tuesday, May 26. A road grader overturned on Galloway Road near Downieville, and a backhoe caught fire in Calpine the same morning.

Josh Handel, Sierra County Director of Public Works and Transportation, described the events in an interview with the Mountain Messenger. “Galloway Road is a special road. It is very steep,” says Handel. Because of its grade, Public Works does not use a water truck on the road and waits until the ground has been moistened by rainfall before grading.

On Tuesday, one piece of equipment became stuck on Galloway. Crews brought the grader down from Allengany to assist. When traveling down to the site, the grader ultimately tipped onto its side around 3 PM.

The operator sustained a minor injury and has not yet returned to work. “The most important thing is that everyone is in relatively good shape,” said Handel. “We are very grateful that the outcome wasn’t worse.”

Damage to the grader appears minor, possibly limited to a broken window. A contractor with heavy equipment in the area was called in to assist with the recovery of the vehicle on Monday. Due to the grader blocking the entirety of the roadway, Galloway was closed through the weekend with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office.

In a separate incident around 9 AM the same day, a backhoe caught fire on Main Street in Calpine. Crews expended two fire extinguishers on the blaze but were unable to put it out. The cause remains undetermined, and the vehicle became a total loss. The backhoe operator was not injured. Firefighters responded and contained the fire, which did not spread to vegetation.