Saturday, January 31, 2015

CLOSE CALL: TANKER TRUCK OVERTURNS ON METRO EAST INTERSTATE IN ILLINOIS. NO GASOLINE WAS SPILLED





 

CLOSE CALL: TANKER TRUCK OVERTURNS ON METRO EAST INTERSTATE IN ILLINOIS.  NO GASOLINE WAS SPILLED


January 30, 2015

O’FALLON, Ill. (KMOV.com) – The westbound lanes of Interstate 64 near O’Fallon, Illinois were closed for at least ten hours Friday morning while crews worked to clear an overturned tanker truck.

The tanker truck overturned right before 2:00 a.m. closing the area from mile marker 16 to marker 19. Firefighters say the truck was traveling eastbound when it crossed through the median and into oncoming traffic, overturning and crashing. 

Traffic was backed up for miles. It was eventually diverted onto Highway 50. Crews worked to drain the tanker of its fuel load.

Gasoline was inside the tanker truck at the time of the accident. According to O’Fallon Fire Chief Brent Saunders, the overturned tanker did not leak any gas. Crews pumped the gasoline from the overturned truck into another truck.

Many agencies, including a hazmat crew, assisted the Illinois State Police and O'Fallon Fire Department.

The driver of the truck was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance after the accident. Information about the driver's condition has not been released.