Freeport HV LV collision 2014
On Saturday, September 27 at 07:20 a Caterpillar 785 haul truck collided with a shift change light vehicle with nine occupants. The accident resulted in four fatalities and two serious lost time injuries.
The Haul Truck was assigned the task of moving stemming material from the nearby Jayapura Lime Quarry onto blasting areas with the Grasberg Open Pit Mine. At the beginning of the shift, the Haul Truck departed Kokonau Bandara towards the quarry and turned right onto the 34 meter wide main haul road. The Haul Truck turned onto the right side of the haul road instead of swinging to the left as per normal traffic patterns.
The light vehicle traveling down the haul road on the left side of the haul road stopped to give the right of way to the haul truck. The haul truck continued in its path colliding with the light vehicle.
The weather was clear and the accident occurred during daylight hours.
This accident claimed the lives of 4 people.