Toxic Truck Accident Closes 40-Mile Stretch of Highway
A trailer truck carrying 550 gallons of a toxic liquid overturned on U.S. 395 north of Bridgeport, Calif., on Wednesday, forcing authorities to evacuate a public campground and shut down a 40-mile stretch of the highway.
California Highway Patrol Sgt. Tom Stanton said the northbound truck carried a shipment of ethyl acrylate, a colorless liquid used to manufacture chemicals and resins.
It swerved to avoid an oncoming car that had crossed the center line of the two-lane highway.
A hazardous-material cleanup team was sent to the scene after witnesses smelled a strange odor coming from the trailer. Initial investigation showed that a seam on one of the 10 55-gallon drums was wet, Stanton said.
However, no chemical leaked onto the highway or into the nearby Walker River, and there were no injuries, Stanton added.
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