DeSoto County, MS :Overturned 18-Wheeler Causes Delays, Headaches On Highway 78 on Wednesday, July 1st 2015

An early morning accident involving an overturned 18-wheeler on Highway 78 in DeSoto County jumbled traffic for more than seven hours and sent first responders scrambling.Both sides of the highway had to be shut down for about two hours. Eastbound 78 was reopened about 7 a.m., but westbound was a whole different story."The tractor trailer is loaded with automotive batteries and other batteries, and it is also leaking fuel,” Chief Deputy Macon Moore said. “We have a hazmat crew on the scene.”Westbound traffic remained shut down and backed up for most of the day, forcing deputies and police to redirect traffic to Old Highway 78.That hazmat crew spent most of the day dealing with nearly 10,000 pounds worth of potentially corrosive and flammable batteries.The DeSoto County Sheriff's Department told FOX13 part of the reason why the situation took so long to handle is because the batteries had to be offloaded from that 18-wheeler by hand. Law enforcement and hazmat crews finally reopened one lane of westbound traffic around 2 p.m. The wreck was completely cleared by 4 p.m.The driver of the 18-wheeler was taken to Methodist Hospital in Olive Branch in non-critical condition.

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Overturned 18-Wheeler Causes Delays, Headaches On Highway 78