Two truck incidents in Union County October 16th

Two separate incidents in Union County this morning, Wednesday October 16, involving two different trucks, demanded the attention of emergency personnel.

The first incident occurred at about 5:00 AM on Highway 15 in New Albany. The driver of a truck northbound on Highway 15 discovered that his truck was leaking diesel fuel onto the roadway. A soon as he observed the problem, he tried to get off the roadway to minimize the damage from the spill.

According to Union County Emergency Management Director, Curt Clayton, the truck on Highway 15 spilled diesel on the roadway from about Hillcrest Baptist Church to New Albany High School. Clayton contacted the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). MDOT crews spread sand on the roadway to soak up the diesel. The actual amount of diesel spilled was believed to be minimal, probably less than 50 gallons. The source of the spill was believed to be a broken fuel line.

The second incident occurred in mid-morning on the westbound lane of I-22, a few hundred yards west of mile marker 71.

A trailer truck ran off the road into the median, causing the contents of the trailer to be strewn onto the median area. The material spilled from the trailer was of a non-hazardous nature.  The driver of the truck was not believed to have been seriously injured in the incident.

One west-bound lane on I-22 was closed to aid clean-up crews. It is believed that the lane will reopen by mid-afternoon Wednesday. As of noon Wednesday, a fork lift and crew were in the median area of I-22 offloading material from the wrecked truck to another trailer parked nearby.

Besides the Union County Emergency Management units, other emergency services personnel on scene at the I-22 incident included the Union County Sheriff’s Department, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, MDOT and the Southeastern Fire Department, a Union County volunteer fire fighting organization.