I-95 SB Reopens Hours After Tanker Truck Overturns, Leaking Fuel

LAUREL, Md. (WJZ) -- A traffic nightmare on a busy stretch of Interstate 95. A tanker truck flips, blocking all the lanes and creating a huge mess.

Tracey Leong has more.

The northbound lanes reopened around 1 p.m. All southbound lanes are open at this time.

Investigators say a Ford Focus abruptly changed lanes, striking a Chevy Malibu. The tanker truck attempted to avoid both cars, but struck the Focus, causing the tanker to overturn.

The driver of the Focus, identified as 23-year-old Christopher Rhodes, was charged with following too closely, unsafe lane change, failure to control speed to avoid a collision, and reckless driving.

The driver of the Malibu was the only person taken to an area hospital for treatment.

A nightmare for drivers on I-95--an overturned tanker truck blocking all southbound lanes.

"A major thoroughfare. Not only through Maryland, but the East Coast. So, it caused a major problem," said Sgt. Marc Black, Maryland State Police.

Cars were backed up for miles in both directions. Police had to divert and reroute traffic, ensuring motorists' safety.

"It's a distraction. If you're not paying attention to your vehicle as you're traveling northbound, someone stops short in front of you. That's a collision," said Sgt. Black.

It was a race against the clock for crews to get the spilled fuel off the road. The rain added another obstacle, spreading it even further.

"They encountered a golf ball sized hole in the side of the tank that was leaking product," said Paul Gomez, assistant chief, Prince George's County Fire Department.

The flipped tanker truck spewed more than 7,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel. The remaining fuel was pumped into a second tanker.

"Because of the fact that it's biodiesel, it's a combustible material rather than a flammable material. That certainly makes it a lot easier for us to deal with that," said Gomez.

Inspectors checked over the tanker before towing it out. They are now focusing efforts on the 700 gallons of fuel that remain on the highway.

The Maryland Department of Environment remains on the scene to determine how much fuel actually spilled into the drains and onto the ground. They will continue clean-up for the next couple of days.

Alternate routes are US 29, MD 295 and US 1.