Spools on the road: Driver cited in incident on I-10

A ground shot of the giant spool stuck on the I-10 freeway on Nov. 12, 2018. (Harris County Sheriff's Office)

HOUSTON – For second time in weeks, a truck carrying giant spools smashed into a bridge on I-10, spilling its cargo onto the freeway.

The driver was cited by the Houston Police Department's truck enforcement division for his load being over height.

His name is Walter Pene of Walter Pene Truckin in Anton, Texas. 

His 18-wheeler lost its load after striking a railroad bridge across I-10 near Wayside at around 4:25 p.m. Monday. Two giant spools spilled onto the East Freeway.

VIDEO: Viewer captures video of giant spools on freeway

The two left lanes were blocked off by authorities for several hours. The freeway was cleared around 7 p.m.

There were no reports of injuries.

TranStar camera captures two spools on East Freeway at Wayside on Nov. 12, 2018/

About two weeks ago, we told you about a giant spool seen rolling down I-10 east near Wayside and McCarty.

The Texas Department of Transportation said Monday the same bridge caused both incidents.

In the Oct. 25 spool issue, the wheel with what appeared to be tubing got loose from a flatbed truck, but was later moved back to the truck, according to TxDOT.

HPD said the investigation is still ongoing in that incident.

Dangerous debris on Houston roadways is more common than you might think. The Channel 2 Investigates team spoke with the Texas Department of Public Safety and a family who lost a loved one after they were killed swerving to avoid a mattress on the freeway.

Members of the HPD truck enforcement division said it's a serious issue and have made it their mission to force truck drivers into tying their loads down safely. They check commercial trucks, looking for dangerous debris.

Wooden boards, metal and glass, mattresses -- all kinds of objects fall off loads and into traffic at highway speed.

What do you do if you see debris on the road?

Commander Kevin Campbell said that you should report the issue to police. He said officers should be notified if loads are shifting or unsecured.

 Anything that looks suspicious call 911, ask for police unit to come to the area," he said.

Campbell said you should try to navigate around the driver of a dangerous load.

"If that equipment falls off any trailers, allow yourself to be away from that operator when he is hauling that load," he said. "Give operators room and space. A lot of times you see people trying to get lane advantage and pull in front of an 18-wheeler. We don’t want to see any accidents."