A semitrailer loaded with bananas overturned on the main east-west highway near the town of Matina. The driver reported that when he felt the earthquake, he came to a full stop, after which the truck overturned. Ninety railroad boxcars overturned at banana-packing plants in southern Costa Rica and northwestern Panama, often blocking access to the loading docks. Even though some cars impacted the buildings, the light steel-frame structures performed well. Perhaps the most obvious indicators of strong motion in the high-intensity region were overturned trucks, truck trailers, and railroad boxcars.
Overturned vehicles are a rare effect in even the strongest earthquakes.
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