A trucker who lost his way resulted in a tanker carrying a corrosive material overturning on Cooper Road, closing the road for much of Tuesday.
Fire Chief Keith Brown said the accident occurred in the early morning hours when the truck driver, who was unharmed, mistakenly turned down Cooper Road thinking it was an access road.
When he came across a sign on the roadway that alerted him heavy trucks had no access, he attempted to use the driveway for the local dialysis treatment facility to backup and turn around.
But, as he was conducting the maneuvers to turn around, the rear wheel of the tanker fell off the driveway into a deep ditch, causing the tanker and truck to overturn.
The tanker was carrying a load of Hydroxyethyl acrylate at the time, which is a corrosive material that should not be inhaled, Brown said.
Hazardous material cleanup crews were on the scene, but the process to right the truck involved transporting the load from the overturned tank to another one before the truck could be righted safely, meaning the road was closed for most of Tuesday, Brown said.
The tanker remained intact. The only leak that occurred as a result of the accident was diesel from the truck’s fuel tanks, which was being absorbed by special pads, Brown said.