Wednesday, March 5, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Investigators still aren't sure who owns the truck that jackknifed and dropped 30 feet, spewing tons of groceries -- canned goods, dry pasta, all the makings for spaghetti -- onto a Spaghetti Bowl on-ramp.
The Nevada Highway Patrol is sorting out the bizarre weekend accident that injured four, caused thousands of dollars in damage and shut down Interstate 15 for hours while crews cleaned up the mess.
Jose Flores, 23, was driving the tractor-trailer rig Saturday morning on U.S. 95 when it jackknifed on an on-ramp, dumping its load onto I-15 below and smashing a Jeep Cherokee. A Cadillac was narrowly missed by the rig, but it was damaged as the groceries fell out of the truck, the NHP said.
Flores will be charged with several violations, an NHP spokeswoman said, including driving without a driver's license and reckless driving.
Just who owns the truck, however, has yet to be sorted out.
Flores was driving an 18-wheeler rig registered to Quintanar E. Rodriguez and Andrus Transportation Services, a freight company based in St. George, Utah. Flores lives in Riverside, Calif., the NHP said.
A manager for Andrus Transportation Services said the rig belongs to Heitz Trucking out of Burnham, Calif., which was a former Andrus owner-operator. The truck, he contends, was not re-registered to reflect the change.
"They failed to remove our name from the truck," said the Andrus manager who was identified only as Reg.
John Andrews, a terminal manager for Heitz Trucking, said Flores was hauling groceries for them and that "he's an independent contractor."
"It was his truck," Andrews told the SUN. "He owns the trailer. He's a subhauler with a contractor's status and all the necessary insurance and licenses."
As it turned out, Flores just had a commercial learner's permit and not a commercial license. The permit allowed him to drive, but not without another qualified commercial driver in the cab, the NHP said.
A passenger in the rig, Cesare Quintana, 27, of Long Beach, Calif., was injured and was in critical but stable condition today at University Medical Center.
Judy Ford, 56, and Faye Pinter, 53, passengers in the Cherokee, were treated at UMC and released. Flores, who had to be cut out from under the rig, was in good condition today at UMC.
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