Cleanup of Spill to Cost in 6 Figures

A tanker truck crash on the Ventura Freeway, which sent about 6,000 gallons of gasoline over the roadway and into the ocean, will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean--a bill that will be passed on to the Bakersfield-based trucking company.

Cox Petroleum Transportation could face additional fines in connection with Sunday’s spill from the state Department of Fish & Game and the California Highway Patrol, authorities said.

Most of the 101 Freeway cleanup was completed late Sunday. The freeway was shut down in both directions for nearly 15 hours, causing a traffic nightmare.

Fish & Game officials spent Monday collecting soil samples, which will be used to determine the extent of environmental damage.

A 300-by-75-foot oval slick of gasoline remains in the ocean, said Robert Hughes, a spokesman for Fish & Game’s oil spill response unit. The spill killed innumerable crabs, fish and worms, Hughes said.

The tide carried the gasoline into deeper waters, spreading the spill’s effect, Hughes said.

“It’s affected the blue-green algae,” he said. “It’s no longer blue-green. It’s yellow straw-colored.”

It’s too early to tell the long-term effects, though the damage was caught in time to prevent a large number of birds from eating contaminated animals, Hughes said. Two dead birds have been collected and will be tested for cause of death.

A small amount of damage to the freeway occurred, and Cox Petroleum will be charged for restoration of a median barrier and regrading of the freeway, said Ivy Estrada, a spokeswoman for Caltrans.

The company has hired an independent contractor to do its own soil samples. Fish & Game’s investigation will determine any further course of action, Hughes said.

Highway Patrol investigators will do another inquiry to determine the cause of the accident, but probably will not be recommending criminal charges, said CHP spokesman Dave Webb.

“There wasn’t much property damage,” said Webb. “At the most, he could be cited for a spilled load.”

The CHP suspects the driver, Mark Hurtado, 43, of Bakersfield, fell asleep at the wheel while driving about 3:45 a.m. on a stretch of the freeway between Ventura and Carpinteria.

Hurtado has been tested for drugs, with results expected in a few weeks, Webb said. But he said there was no early indication Hurtado was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

According to company officials, Hurtado earlier had pulled over to the side of the road to rest about four miles from the site of the accident and was asked to move on by a CHP officer. The accident happened shortly thereafter.

“Unfortunately, falling asleep at the wheel is the most common accident that trucking companies have,” said Jim Bolla, operations manager at Cox Petroleum. “But, our drivers are on set schedules. They do a shift and they go home. We’re well within the hours required of us.”

Bolla said the driver would most likely not be punished by the company.

Hurtado was hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo when he lost control of the truck and it flipped over on the freeway median.

He was trapped in the cab until a passing driver, Danny Green, 42, of Lompoc, broke the window and helped Hurtado out, Webb said.