Truck driver arrested on drunken driving charges after West Virginia Turnpike crash, chemical spill
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The West Virginia Turnpike reopened Thursday evening after a tractor-trailer crashed and spilled a chemical, forcing all lanes to be closed for most of the day just north of Pax, the state Transportation Department said
The crash happened in the northbound lanes just after midnight when the driver lost control, jackknifed and crossed the barrier wall, the agency said.
The truck was carrying a minimum of 12 275-gallon totes of a cleaning agent, the state Division of Environmental Protection Agency said. A contractor cleaned up the spill. Dead fish were observed along nearby Paint Creek, the DEP said in a statement.
Turnpike director Jeff Miller said the truck's driver was arrested on a drunken driving charge, WCHS-TV reported.
A detour had been set up, including one that took drivers far north on Interstate 79 and from the south on U.S. Route 19 through Summersville.
The crash pushed back the West Virginia National Guard's planned assistance with flooding cleanup in the Gauley Bridge area of Fayette County until Friday, WOWK-TV reported.