Steamboat Springs, CO : Driver dies in crash after semitrailer rolls, spills asphalt on roadway near Wyoming on Monday, May 16, 2016
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
A truck driver was killed Monday night when his semitrailer went off the road, spilling “a large portion” of the 7,500 gallons of hot liquid asphalt he was hauling.
According to a news release from Colorado State Patrol, Jody Ramsey, 61, of Rawlins, Wyoming, went off the right side of Colorado Highway 13 at mile post 127.5 near Wyoming about 10:30 p.m. Monday.
Ramsey’s 1995 Kenworth tractor-trailer and the Fruehauf tanker filled with liquid asphalt it was hauling did a three-quarter roll before coming to a rest.
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“A large portion of the contents of the trailer spilled into the ditch along the highway. A Colorado State Patrol hazmat technician responded to the scene and determined that the asphalt was not a public or environmental hazard,” according to state patrol.
Ramsey was not wearing a seatbelt and was killed in the crash.
The Colorado State Patrol would like to remind drivers, especially those of commercial motor vehicles, to drive safely and to always wear their seatbelts,” stated the news release.
The accident is still under investigation, but neither excessive speed nor drugs and alcohol are expected to have contributed to its cause.
Early Tuesday morning, Steamboat-based Rocky Mountain Towing and Delivery was on the scene to handle removing the tanker.
Owner Mark Sloop said he received a call from state patrol about 1:30 a.m. and at noon Tuesday his crew was still working on clearing the wreckage.
“We’re in the process of cleaning everything up and the truck-trailer will be hauled back to our storage yard in Steamboat Springs,” he said.
The asphalt in the ditch on Highway 13 was still hot and sticky Tuesday afternoon. It’s not yet known if the asphalt will be cleaned up or if it will remain in the ditch.
Responding agencies include state patrol, state patrol Hazmat, state patrol Vehicular Crimes Unit, Colorado Department of Transportation, Craig Fire/Rescue, Baggs Fire Department, Wyoming Department of Transportation and Wyoming Highway Patrol.
Source :
Driver dies in crash near Wyoming after semitrailer rolls, spills asphalt on roadway