Traffic Snarled, 1 Treated in Sulfur Spill

A truck-trailer rig carrying bags of sulfur dumped part of its load across three lanes of the eastbound Riverside Freeway on Wednesday, prompting a shutdown of the eastbound lanes and causing major delays for rush-hour commuters.

More than 1,200 pounds of powdery sulfur in 50-pound sacks tumbled from the truck’s rear trailer and spilled onto the freeway, creating an irritating pungent cloud and sending one motorist to the hospital.

The accident occurred just east of the Santa Ana Freeway at 3:05 p.m., said Angel Johnson, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman.

Eastbound traffic was stopped for more than six hours, causing “major” congestion on nearby surface streets as CHP officers rerouted motorists to the Santa Ana Freeway, Johnson said. Scores of other motorists were stranded behind the spilled load.

Joyce Bourcier of Anaheim, who lives about a block and a half from the accident scene, said she heard about it on her way home from Long Beach and got off the freeway earlier than usual--but to no avail. The surface streets were clogged, too.

“It still took me forever to get home,” she said.

Firefighters used water hoses to decontaminate two motorists and the tractor-trailer’s driver, Paul Leroy Miller, 42, of Corvallis, Ore. Their vehicles also were hosed down.

Miller, who was hauling 150 50-pound bags of sulfur he had just picked up at a Buena Park chemical company, drives for Nix Transportation Inc. of Albany, Ore. He was cited for the spilled load, Johnson said. She said Miller was headed for Northwest Retreaders Co., in Portland, which uses the sulfur in a compound to retread tires.

Miller told officers he was traveling about 45 m.p.h. on the connector from the Santa Ana to the Riverside Freeway when he noticed one bag falling, followed by nearly two dozen others.

As the bags hit the pavement they burst open, sending up a cloud of sulfur that obscured the vision of Manoutchehi Ahmadi, 51, of Anaheim, who was following Miller’s rig. Ahmadi braked after his air conditioning system filled the interior of his sedan with fine, yellow sulfur dust, Johnson said.

Ahmadi’s car was then struck from behind by a pickup driven by Jeff Potter, 27, of Mira Loma, who told CHP officers his tires lost traction as they passed over the slick sulfur.

Ahmadi was taken to Martin Luther Hospital in Anaheim for observation after he complained of breathing difficulties.

Sulfur in powder form can cause eye and skin irritation and is highly flammable.

“It could have caught fire just from the exhaust from (passing) cars because it ignites with heat,” said Buena Park Fire Capt. Ed Endemano.

The sulfur was swept into barrels and hauled away by a hazardous-materials company, which was dispatched by California Department of Transportation officials.

Riverside Freeway Traffic Tie-Up Truck dumped sulfur across three lanes of the eastbound Riverside Freeway