MUSSEL SHOAL : Trailer Plunges Off Freeway, Hits 2 Cars
A tractor-trailer carrying disposable diapers plunged down an embankment on the Ventura Freeway near Mussel Shoal on Tuesday, damaging two parked cars in a nearby beach community and downing high-voltage power lines, authorities said.
More than 400 residents were without electricity for more than an hour, authorities said.
The driver, Hector Morales, 30, and passenger Miguel Morales, 22, both of Riverside, suffered minor scrapes and bruises, California Highway Patrol Officer Brad Prows said.
The rig was traveling south on the rain-slickened highway when the accident occurred at 11:10 a.m., Prows said. The tractor’s right front tire blew out, causing the driver to lose control, Prows said. After striking a guardrail, the rig slammed into a power pole before it plunged over the embankment onto Breakers Way, where it struck the two parked cars, Prows said.
The rig spilled about 80 gallons of diesel fuel onto Breakers Way, Prows said. Ventura County firefighters shoveled sand onto the spill to absorb it.
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