June 25th, 2010 | 
Author: TULSA, OK – A semi truck fell off an interstate ramp onto a lower highway ramp Tuesday afternoon, June 15, in Oklahoma, spilling its load of a hazardous chemical. The truck accident occurred in the downtown section of Tulsa, OK and caused delays on several different roads and highways. The accident area is in the northeast section of the state, about 257 miles north of Dallas, Texas and about 114 miles southwest of Joplin, Missouri.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local emergency personnel responded to the scene of the single vehicle truck accident. The driver reportedly was already out of his semi cab and walking around.
At around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday afternoon a truck driver was driving a semi trailer truck west on Interstate 244 in Oklahoma. The driver was carrying 78,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizers. The toxic chemical was in the form of white powdery pellets and is the same chemical used in the Oklahoma City bombing.
As the driver was traveling through Tulsa he moved to exit the interstate and merge onto northbound US 75. The driver was going down the I-244 off ramp and attempting to negotiate a turn when he suddenly lost control of the 18 wheeler truck. The trailer truck went over a guardrail at the edge of the interstate and fell several hundred feet onto a U.S. 75 ramp below.
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The impact of the rollover truck accident caused the trailer to break open and the entire load of hazardous chemical fertilizer spilled out onto the highway.
No other vehicles or persons were involved in the truck accident.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local emergency personnel responded to the scene of the single vehicle truck accident. The driver reportedly was already out of his semi’s cab and walking around when they arrived. He was treated at the scene and then transported by ambulance to St. John’s Medical Center. His injuries are considered minor and not life threatening.
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Once OHP learned the nature of the chemical fertilizer they closed down sections of the highway surrounding the truck accident. Tulsa firefighters and a Haz-Mat team worked together to clean up the potentially dangerous chemical. According to officials, the chemical posed the greatest threat to those cleaning up the spill and there was no need to evacuate the area in the vicinity of the truck accident.
A nearby business was advised to close the bay doors to keep any dust from entering the building.
The truck accident occurred at the start of the afternoon commuter rush hour and caused considerable delays. Northbound traffic on U.S. Highway 75 was rerouted to eastbound I-244 and the section between the westbound I-244 exit and ramp to U.S. 75 was closed, as was the area of U.S. 75 where the trailer truck fell and finally came to a rest. All traffic lanes were reopened shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening.
No charges or citations have been made at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.
For more information about Oklahoma trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact nationwide truck accident lawyers Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert advice. For a free initial consultation, talk to a OK truck accident lawyer at 800.773.6770.
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