According to Ontario Provincial Police, a tractor trailer rolled over on the eastbound off-ramp to Camden East on Highway 401 early Tuesday.
The truck was apparently hauling 1,500 gallons of liquid asphalt, which spilled over the exitway after the collision. Inspector Scott Semple with Napanee OPP says they believe speed may have been a cause of the rollover.
“At this time we believe the cause of the accident was due to the driver taking the ramp at a speed too fast for the ramp.”
Police believe the heavy load on the back of the truck caused the truck driver to lose control, tipping the tanker over into the ditch on the off-ramp at county road 4.
The leakage of hundreds of gallons of liquid asphalt has the Ministry of Environment investigating, as there could be damage to the grounds where the spill happened. Insp. Semple tells CKWS it can be a lengthy process.
“The spill occurred in the ditch, so there will be some mitigation of the soil and again the ministry of environment is engaged and there will be people that are qualified in the cleanup.”
OPP say accidents on the off-ramp are all too common lately, with a lot of them involving commercial vehicles.
“There are recommended reduced speeds on all ramps for the reason of slowing traffic down while they are making that turn.”
According to police, the male driver was transported to hospital with injuries. They say it could have been a lot worse. Normally, the liquid being carried in the tanker has to be transported at a very high temperature.
The truck driver could face several charges as the investigation continues.