SANTA ANA : Truck Spills Fuel, Shuts Down Road
The rear of a tractor-trailer rig swerved out of control Thursday on the rain-slick Costa Mesa Freeway, striking other vehicles and causing the big rig to jackknife and a diesel fuel tank to rupture.
The diesel spill prompted northbound traffic to be rerouted for almost three hours.
Three people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries after the 10:55 a.m. accident just north of the 17th Street on-ramp, said Sgt. Bill Snell, a commercial enforcement officer with the California Highway Patrol.
CHP officers closed the 17th Street northbound freeway on-ramp so state Department of Transportation crews could clean up about 100 gallons of diesel fuel that poured from the cargo truck’s tank.
Snell said the accident began when the rear of the truck, driven by Marvin W. Carter, swerved out of control, hitting the rear of two cars, driven by Genevieve Silva and Chuong Viet Tong.
Tong’s car was forced into the rear of a car driven by Delia Ramirez, who then struck another car driven by Tara Drobnick, the CHP reported. Silva, Ramirez and Drobnick were treated at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.
The collisions ruptured one of the truck’s diesel tanks, sending fuel across four lanes. The spill was contained to the freeway, authorities said.
No citations were issued, pending further investigation, Snell said.
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