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Highway 3 closed Truck driver sent to hospital with minor injuries
Candace Thomson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, July 10, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A Super-B fuel truck owned by RTL/WestCan jackknifed and flipped on to its side on Highway 3 early Tuesday morning about 60 km south of Behchoko, spilling an undetermined amount of Jet A-1 fuel onto the road.
Earl Blacklock, manager of public affairs and communications with the Department of Transportation, said there were no other vehicles involved and no fatalities.
The driver of the fuel truck, who is from Edmonton, was injured but able to walk away from the vehicle. He was sent to Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife for examination.
An employee involved in the cleanup was also injured at the scene. During the clean-up efforts a piece of excavation equipment rolled over and left a machinery operator with a gash. He was taken to either Yellowknife or Behchoko for medical treatment, according to Blacklock.
RTL/WestCan were in charge of removing the spilled fuel and the truck from the highway.
Blacklock said early Tuesday afternoon he didn't expect there to be any damage to the environment.
"We are taking in all environmental considerations, but of course our biggest priority is to make sure the driver is safe, and measures have been taken to ensure that."
Two officers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) were on the scene to supervise the cleanup, according to Judy McLinton, communications manager for ENR.
A single lane opened mid-afternoon Tuesday, but Blacklock said the highway could remain closed as late as Wednesday morning.
Kimberly McDonald, marketing and communications associate for RTL/Westcan, said the clean-up efforts were going quickly on Tuesday. She did not know how much fuel was spilled during the incident as that is still under investigation.
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