A heavy goods vehicle rolled over at Sulby Bridge, leaving its occupant trapped inside and closing the main A3 road for almost eight hours.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 8.45am on Tuesday, September 8, after the HGV crashed and overturned.

Four fire appliances, a duty officer and brigade officer attended alongside police and the Ambulance Service.

Firefighters used specialist cutting equipment to safely release the trapped occupant from the vehicle.

The casualty was then handed into the care of the Ambulance Service.

Fire crews remained at the scene for around an hour to assist partner agencies and make sure the area was left safe.

The A3 was closed between the Sulby Glen Hotel and Sulby Bridge while investigations were carried out and the vehicle was recovered.

Police initially expected the road to reopen around midday, but the closure was subsequently extended to 5pm as recovery work continued.

The road eventually reopened shortly before 4.45pm.

Police said: ‘At approximately 8.45am on Tuesday 8th September 2026, Police attended an incident in the area of Sulby Bridge involving a heavy goods vehicle which had rolled.

‘Partner agencies also attended and the driver received medical care at the scene.

‘The road was closed for a protracted amount of time to allow investigations to be carried out, for the road to be cleared, and for vehicle extraction.

‘We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding during the closure.’

The lengthy closure also caused disruption to bus services and other motorists travelling between the north and the rest of the island.

Police asked large vehicles over 7.5 tonnes travelling from the west to divert at Ballaugh towards Jurby for northern destinations while the A3 remained closed.

Bus Vannin operated diversions via Ramsey, Jurby Road, Balacrye Road and the Wildlife Park.

The incident also affected plans for the removal of race equipment following the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT.

The Department of Infrastructure postponed the planned Tuesday closure of the A18 Mountain Road because of the ongoing incident at Sulby.

The Mountain Road was due to close between Ramsey and the Bungalow as crews removed race-related equipment.