Tanker crash spills fuel, closes Route 8 in Thomaston until Tuesday: wtnh.com
Route 8 northbound in Thomaston will remain closed until about 1 p.m. Tuesday, (Sept. 13) while state police clean up a fuel spill from a tractor trailer crash Monday morning.
A Coastal Carriers tractor, pulling a gasoline tanker with 8,800 gallons of fuel, drove off the highway and rolled down an embankment at about 4:45 a.m. Monday, state police said.
Coastal Carriers is located on Riverside Drive in Ansonia.
State Police said about 5,000 gallons of gasoline spilled from the tanker and contaminated the surrounding soil.
The truck driver, Andrew Pitt, 26, of Bridgeport, was taken to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital with minor injuries.
The contaminated soil must be removed from the site and that removal process is expected to take 24 hours, according to a press release from Lt. J. Paul Vance.
Detours will be in place and all motorists are advised to seek alternate routes during the cleanup.
State Police, local fire departments and state Department of Environmental Protection haz mat teams responded to the crash.
There are no residential houses in the immediate area, but the truck crashed near the Naugatuck River, the press release said.
Accident investigation is continuing by the State Police truck squad and State Police Troop L accident investigators.
