Most Dangerous Types of Truck Spills
Imagine this scenario: You’re up early to beat the morning commute and head out on the highway. Suddenly, you encounter a gooey mess strewn all over the highway.
One morning in Vacaville, California, a semi-truck lost control, made a sharp turn, and spilled over 150,000 tomatoes across Interstate 80. As cars plowed through the tomatoes, they churned them into a slurry mess that set off a chain reaction accident that sent seven motorists to the hospital.
That was one of the most dangerous truck spills on American highways.
A Big Mess
Many truck spills create a big mess and cause miles of traffic backup. In Pennsylvania, a truck collided with a car, spilling manure over the highway, according to CBS News.
In Oregon, 13 containers full of slime eels slid off a flatback truck when the driver stopped short, resulting in over 7,500 pounds of the slimy eels secreting mucus (hence the name) over the road, cars, and drivers, per CBS News. A vegetable oil spill in Indiana covered twenty-six miles of highway with a slick mess that took days to clean up.
There have also been recent major spills of nacho cheese sauce, hot dog filler, syrup, alfredo sauce, beer, and wine. Although that sounds like the makings of a great party, it was an inconvenience and mess for all concerned. Sadly, not all truck spills are just a matter of a cleanup. They can also result in fatalities.
Deadly Spills
As reported by CNN, five people were killed not directly from a crash but from exposure to what the truck spilled. A truck carrying anhydrous ammonia collided with a vehicle in Effingham County, Ohio. The resulting spill of 7,500 gallons of the toxic chemical led to the deaths. The same ammonia spill happened in Houston back in 1976. That left six people dead and another 178 hospitalized from the spill.
After last year’s train derailment in Ohio, which spilled thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals, The Guardian looked into the statistics and found that the U.S. is averaging “one chemical accident every two days.” Many of those accidents involve trucks getting into crashes and spilling their hazardous cargo.
The Conversation took on the same angle and found that “Truck-related hazardous materials incidents caused over 16 times more fatalities from 1975 to 2021 – 380 for truck, compared with 23 for rail, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The difference is more pronounced in the last decade when U.S. rail transportation of hazardous materials caused zero fatalities, and truck incidents were responsible for 83.”
Fiery Collisions
The only way for gas stations to be refueled is from a tanker truck delivery. These trucks are at the same risk of a deadly collision as any other type of truck. Recently, a tanker truck full of gasoline got involved in a three-vehicle crash that set off a fiery explosion that severely damaged an overpass, according to a WBUR news story. That shut that section of highway for several days.
Another tanker truck got into an accident on Interstate 70 just outside of Denver, per AP News. This happened when a vehicle slammed into the truck that was parked along the side of the road. The driver of the car was killed, and the surrounding brush on the roadside caught fire. In Northfield, Ohio, one person died when a tanker truck lost control and went over the side of a bridge, according to 19 News.
Animal Troubles
Along with the fuel and dry goods that get transported each day, trucks also carry animals. When those trucks get into accidents, it can mean more traffic delays. Sadly, it can also mean tragic ends for the animals. A truck carrying over 100,000 live salmon overturned in Oregon, per CNN. Fortunately for many of the salmon, the truck spill was near a creek, and many of the salmon were able to flop to freedom.
A tractor-trailer hauling sheep tipped over on an Eau Claire highway, spilling dozens of sheep and killing several others, according to a WQOW news story. In another incident, a truck crashed not because of the animals it was carrying but because of a different one that flew into the truck. It was a wild turkey that smashed into the semi-truck and forced it to careen off the road, per a KGW8 news story. Luckily, the trucker survived, but the turkey did not.
Filing Suit
A truck spill that causes you to be late to work is not actionable. However, a spill that causes damage to your car or triggers a chain reaction of collisions could mean you have a case.
In order to file suit against a trucker and their company, you need to prove your damages. Those can be the cost of car repairs and medical bills. There might also be pain and suffering associated with the accident. All of those matters should be discussed with the Trucking Injury Law Group.
We are a team of experienced attorneys dedicated to helping clients across Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington who have become involved in a trucking accident.
We have helped victims of trucking collisions receive millions in compensation for their injury and loss.
If you’ve been involved in a trucking accident, you owe it to yourself to call for a free consultation today. Let’s work together for a resolution.
