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I-25 closed for nearly two days following massive diesel spill

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A portion of Interstate 25 in Colorado was shut down for over 36 hours following a tanker truck crash over the weekend. 

The accident happened on Saturday, March 20th at around 1:12 a.m. near Loveland, Colorado. 

According to Denver CBS Local, 67-year-old trucker, John Brotherson, was traveling along I-25 when he apparently fell asleep, wrecking the tanker truck and spilling 11,500 gallons of diesel fuel across the highway and into the nearby ditches that drain into the Big Thompson River,, causing environmental concerns. 

Brotherson did suffer serious injuries in the crash, and was temporarily trapped inside of his rig as a result of the accident. His current condition is not known. Brotherson has been charged with careless driving. 

Because of the extent of the spill, the Colorado Department of Transportation closed sections of I-25 down for nearly two days as they worked to repave and restripe both sides of the interstate. 

“The fuel, when it gets into the pavement, when it’s that massive amount of levels, seeps down into the pavement and actually gets to the sub surface,” said Jared Fiel, Regional Communications Manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

No one else was hurt in the incident, and officials do not believe the diesel fuel will have a serious impact on the environment. 

“We’re just not seeing anything that would lead us to believe that we have any concerns with the water right now,” said Joni Sandoval with the Environmental Protection Agency.

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