Overturned Tanker Truck Blocks Southbound 101 Near Morgan Hill
MORGAN HILL (BCN) -- An independent contractor will siphon molten wax Monday night from an overturned tanker that crashed Monday afternoon on U.S. Highway 101 in Morgan Hill, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.
The CHP received a report at 2:43 p.m. that a truck carrying 43,000 pounds of liquid wax had overturned at the Cochrane Road exit, CHP Officer Peter Van Eckhardt said.
Crews must remove the wax from the crashed tanker and transfer it to another truck before the overturned semi can be up-righted, CHP Officer Jason Yount said.
Three of the four lanes near the crash site were closed while Caltrans repaired deep gouges in the road caused by the accident.
Two of the lanes were reopened by 6:30 p.m., but the far-right lane will be closed throughout the siphoning process until the truck can be cleared, Yount said.
Traffic was snarled after the crash and still congested as of 7 p.m.
The company doing the wax transfer was expected to arrive on scene by 7:45 p.m., Yount said.
The truck driver was taken to a hospital for injuries that were not believed to be life threatening.
The lane could remain closed overnight, according to the CHP.
The CHP does not believe alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash.
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