BARDSDALE : Tanker Overturns, Spills Oil in Grove

More than 1,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into a Bardsdale orange grove Wednesday when part of a tanker truck overturned while rounding a curve on California 23 south of Fillmore, authorities said.

The accident occurred at 4:15 p.m. when the driver of a double tanker truck belonging to Ventura Petroleum Services of Santa Paula tried to take a curve too fast while heading north, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said.

The driver, Charles M. Cole, 49, of Fillmore, was uninjured when the rear tank overturned and landed in the southbound lanes, she said. The front tank remained upright.

A Fillmore man driving in the opposite direction received major injuries when the overturned tank slid into his pickup truck, the spokeswoman said. Jose Pedro Ayala, 32, was in serious condition at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital with a fractured knee and possible internal injuries, a supervising nurse said.

A second car was also struck by the skidding tank, but the driver, Irma Garcia, 30, of Moorpark, received minor injuries, the CHP said.

Traffic was diverted from California 23 at Guiberson Road and Bardsdale Avenue during the overnight cleanup, the CHP said.

A county hazardous materials team constructed earthen dikes in the orange grove and along the highway to stop the oil from spreading.

As much as 1,500 gallons of crude oil spilled from the 4,000-gallon rear tank, the CHP spokeswoman said. The front tank did not leak, she said.