300 Gallons of Fuel Spill as Tanker Tips

A speeding fuel tanker overturned on a Camarillo offramp of the northbound Ventura Freeway early Tuesday morning, in an accident that trapped the driver in the truck’s cab while as much as 300 gallons of fuel spilled onto the roadway.

Firefighters were able to free the driver, Julia Foster, using a mechanical extraction device. Foster, 39, of Corona was airlifted to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, where she was treated for facial cuts, a fractured left arm, and pains in her shoulder, neck and back.

Authorities spent most of Tuesday afternoon trying to right the tanker and clean up the spilled diesel fuel.

The accident occurred about 7:15 a.m. as Foster tried to exit the freeway at Camarillo Springs Road. The medium-sized tanker struck a light pole and flipped onto its left side, said Joe Luna, spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

California Highway Patrol Officer Dave Cockrill said Foster was traveling 40 to 45 mph on the offramp, which is posted at 15 mph.

“She was going too fast to take that turn,” Cockrill said.

Firefighters responding to the accident found a large amount of diesel fuel streaming down the offramp. Foster was conscious but trapped in the cab. She was extremely frightened and agitated, authorities said.

On- and offramps for Camarillo Springs Road were closed while the Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Team worked through the afternoon to clean up the spill, Luna said.

The ramps were expected to be reopened by late Tuesday night, Cockrill said. All freeway lanes remained open during the cleanup.

Officials from the state Department of Fish and Game, the Coast Guard and the state Department of Environmental Health also responded to the accident to determine whether the spill caused permanent damage.

Authorities said some of the fuel ran off into surrounding fields and a dry creek bed but believed the amount was not significant enough to adversely affect the environment.