February 18th, 2010 | 
Author: NEW HARTFORD, CT – Diesel fuel spilled on a Connecticut highway Tuesday morning following a truck accident, shutting down traffic for hours. The truck accident happened on Route 8 near New Hartford, CT. The accident area is in the northwest section of the state, 57 miles north of New Haven, CT and 120 miles southwest of Boston.
After losing control, the truck driver skidded across the wet highway surface and banged into a guardrail along side a bridge near New Hartford High School in Connecticut.
Shortly before noon on Tuesday, 56 year old Timothy Meyers of Chittenango, CT was driving his tractor trailer truck south on Route 8 near New Hartford, CT. At one point he maneuvered to avoid hitting a car, and lost control of the semi trailer truck.
After losing control, the truck driver skidded across the wet highway surface and banged into a guardrail along side a bridge. The bridge is located near New Hartford High School, and crosses the railroad tracks of the New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad line.
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The tractor truck then crossed back over to the left side of the highway and smashed into the guardrail on that side, damaging about 50 feet of the rail. The 18 wheeler then jack-knifed and finally came to a rest, blocking most of the highway.
Firefighters from nearby Willowvale responded to the truck accident scene. They treated the truck driver for injuries to his leg and arm, which were reportedly minor. There was no need to transport the truck driver to a hospital for additional care.
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The tractor trailer was heavily damaged in the truck accident. At least one of its two fuel tanks was ruptured in the collision, and spilled approximately 75 gallons of diesel fuel out onto Route 8. Crews from the New Hartford Fire Department and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Conservation worked to clean up the fuel from the highway surface and prevent it from getting into any nearby water systems. Other highway crews worked to removed the wreckage of the truck and move it out of the way of traffic.
Connecticut Department of Transportation shut down the area around the truck accident scene for more than four hours, causing major traffic delays. Most of the lanes would reopen Tuesday afternoon, but CT-DOT was keeping at least one southbound land closed while the damaged guardrail was repaired. Authorities did not indicate how long it would take to repair the guardrail, but some expected all southbound lanes to be open by the Wednesday morning commute.
STREET VIEW
Officials investigating the truck accident said that no other vehicles crew involved, except the car the truck driver said he swerved to miss. They believe that the truck driver was going to fast for conditions and he was ticketed for Driving at an Unsafe Speed. He will appear in court on Thursday March 11, according to New Hartford police.
No other charges or citations have been brought at this time.
For more information about Louisiana trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact a Louisiana truck accident lawyer. For a free initial consultation, contact nationwide truck accident attorney, Steve Gordon, for the best advise possible.
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