Oakridge (KMTR) - A fuel tanker crash spilled thousands of gallons of diesel and gasoline onto the side of the Highway 58 near Oakridge Monday morning. ODOT reps say the road will remain closed indefinitely. Emergency crews estimate more than 4,000 gallons of fuel spilled into a ditch just across the road from the Middle Fork of the Willamette River.
State police say the truck travelled off the shoulder and overturned. The driver, 60-year-old Gary Griffith from Medford, received minor injuries. He was cited for Failure to Drive Within a Lane. No one else was involved.
Fire crews, state police, DEQ, and hazmat teams all responded to the wreck, a little before 9 a.m. Monday. One of the truck's tanks with about 5,000 gallons of fuel appeared to remain intact. Residents in a nearby subdivision were evacuated later in the afternoon, so the remaining fuel could be removed safely.
A hazmat team is working to prevent fuel from entering the stream, just about 700 feet away from the crash. Crews will likely remain on the scene until Tuesday.
ODOT will open one lane of the highway just as soon as they can, but drivers can expect the closure to continue Monday evening.
