Police: Suspected Drunk Driver Responsible For Massive Spill That Shut Down I-95 & I-895
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A tanker truck overturns and causes a massive spill that shuts down I-95 and I-895 for hours.
Monique Griego has more on why the driver is behind bars.
That driver is facing a list of charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol.
Just after 8 p.m. Wednesday, a major response was called in to the southbound lanes of I-95 after a tractor trailer overturns, causing a massive hazmat situation.
"The spillage was coming down and it covered all lanes of traffic," said Sergeant Kirk Perez.
Perez says the driver lost control just north of the Fort McHenry tolls and flipped. The truck was carrying containers full of a concrete mixing solution that poured onto the roadway.
Police shut down traffic for more than seven hours as crews tried to clean up the mess.
"It was not hazardous in any way. The Maryland Department of Environment was out and tested to make sure everything was fine," said Sergeant Perez.
Two of those containers actually rolled off of I-95, landed on I-895, spilled open and then shut down traffic there as well.
Luckily, I-895 lanes were already closed for routine maintenance.
"If one of them had struck a vehicle that was in the roadway it could have been a lot more serious," Perez said.
Police say what is serious is that they now believe the driver of this truck had been drinking.
Officers arrested and charged Glenn Grise, 46, with drunk driving. They say he's from Grise Trucking out of New Jersey.
WJZ made several calls to the company, but never received a response.
Despite how bad the situation looked, authorities are thankful no one was hurt.
"Potentially it could have been a lot worse," Perez said.
Grise is also charged with several traffic violations, in addition to the drunk driving charges.
Court records show in 2010 and 2011 Grise pleaded guilty to driving with excessive weight.