Driver Walks Away From Crude Oil Tanker Rollover

This lucky driver walked away from a serious rollover accident Wednesday on I-15, near St. George, Utah.

Tanker wreak on I-15 near St. George, Utah. pic.twitter.com/J8qBijFqe2

— Lynn Eldredge (@lynneldredge) June 11, 2014

At the time of the incident, he had been hauling 6,000 gallons of hot crude oil, on southbound I-15 near mile marker 20. Unfortunately, the tanker then careened off of the roadway and rolled down the median’s embankment.

When the rig stopped rolling, the tanker landed near the cab and spilled 4,000 gallons of hot oil. The cab separated from the tanker and was rendered unrecognizable – to the point that it was difficult for firefighters to locate the driver’s seat and seatbelt.

Authorities believe that the accident was caused by a mechanical malfunction. The driver was not wearing his seatbelt, and was ejected from the vehicle at the time of the accident.

The freeway has reopened to through traffic.

Unfortunately, at this point the oil has soaked into the earth surrounding the scene. In order to control contamination, the oil-soaked earth will have to be removed and replaced with clean topsoil.

Sources
KSL
St.George Utah
The Spectrum