An Interstate 5 fuel tanker accident caused major traffic backups Monday, local news outlets reported. At least two people were injured.
The accident took place on the southbound lanes of I-5 at about 6 am on Monday. The vehicle involved was a double tanker semi-truck and it crashed near Carpenter Road NE near Lacey. About half of the tanker’s load spilled onto the highway.
Semi-Truck Spilled Diesel Onto The Road
When discussing the accident with reporters, officials with the Washington Department of Ecology spills program said that the tanker that remained intact was carrying about 7,000 gallons of gasoline while the second tanker, which ruptured as a result of the crash, was carrying about 4,000 gallons of diesel.
Officials said that the cleanup took more than 11 hours to complete.
Truck Driver, Passenger Injured In Accident
Washington State Patrol (WSP) officials told news outlets that the 43-year-old driver of the tanker truck and the vehicle’s 21-year-old passenger were injured. No serious injuries were reported.
Investigators stated that based on the available information, they believe the driver was going too fast for the road conditions prior to the collision.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
On Twitter, news outlets and WSP Troopers shared images of the accident and its aftermath.
Truck Accidents Still A Problem Nationwide
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), there were 4,842 fatal accidents involving large trucks in 2020, a 4% decrease from 2019 and a 33% increase from 2011.
While the rate of fatal truck accidents increased since 2011, 2020 saw 107,000 large truck accidents involving an injury, a 10% drop when compared to 2019.
Accounting for 9% of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2020, trucks continue to pose a major threat on the roads. Due to their large size, trucks can cause a great deal of damage in a collision.
Accidents like the one reported this week should remind us to always follow traffic rules and never go above speed limits.
For more on this crash, follow this link.
