Monday, June 08, 2009

Overturned Truck on Rt141 in Delaware this morning

I saw this overturned truck at Rt141 Spur and West Park Drive on my ride in this morning. Fortunately I was going straight so I merely had to wait for the policeman to let us through. Only the truck was there when I went through but the News Journal says it was a multi-car accident.



This might be the first published picture of the scene. Because the truck was at Rt 141 and the on ramps to 202 and this is a popular left turn for the A I DuPont hospital, that means the next intersection to go that way at Rt 141 and Children's Drive the left turn was very backed up because people couldn't turn earlier. I think about how an accident has other ripple effects. The next turn was backed up for five times as many cars as usual, which is just asking for a rear end collision from an inattentive driver.

On the way further south on Rt141 I also saw a DNREC emergency response truck going the opposite direction to the scene (I am assuming). This was on the Tyler McConnell bridge and I had to pull to the right on the bridge, where there really isn't any room, to let him go past me as he was coming towards me on the left. I suspect that means there was a spill of something. Perhaps in the cargo, though the article says a fuel spill was reported.

I hope everyone is alright. The window on the truck cab was broken out, but it wasn't clear if that happened in the accident or as part of getting the drive out. Police, Fire and ambulance were on the scene.

3 comments:

Kay said...

I work at DuPont Ex Station but cannot picture where this happened -- at the spot you turn left to go to Astra Zeneca or right to AI hospital? Also canNOT imagine how this huge truck got turned over -- trucker trying to avoid accident with a car cutting him off?

Richard said...

I was going south on Rt 141 spur almost before it becomes Rt 141. Coming from Foulk rd. under Rt 202 you come to a light where ahead of you is the Rt 141 spur and much further on that is the AI DuPont hospital on the left and Astra Zeneca on the right.

At the intersection with the crash if you make a left you are on West Park Drive and then could make a right to go to A.I. DuPont Hospital. The links in the post go to the Google maps pages with the more exact positions.

The picture in the News Journal (posted after mine) seems to show car might have hit the truck and turned it over. I can never reconstruct the accidents after the fact, it never seems that the cars can get in the state there are in starting from a legal traffic configuration.

Richard said...

Other News Journal updates:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009906090345