Driver Dies After Methane Tanker Truck Crash On Route 2 In Orange
ORANGE (CBS) – The driver of a tanker truck carrying methane gas died after the truck rolled over on Route 2 in Orange Friday night. Massachusetts State Police have identified the driver as 62-year-old Lois Ann Johnson of Woodstock, N.H.
The crash happened in the vicinity of Exit 14 and the area was temporarily evacuated as crews evaluated how safe the area was.
State Police were forced to shut down the highway in both directions because the truck was believed to be leaking methane and hazmat crews responded. It remained closed from Exit 13 to Exit 15 until early Saturday afternoon as crews removed the leftover gas from the rolled over truck.
The ramp is still closed Sunday while the guard rail is replaced and the truck is moved.
Preliminary investigations show the "truck failed to hold the curved roadway of the exit ramp, crashed through a guardrail, went over a grass embankment and rolled over, coming to rest along the woodline."
It is unclear what caused the crash.