GREENFIELD — A semitrailer hauling oil ran off the road and crashed into a bridge on Interstate 70 near Mt. Comfort Road on Wednesday morning, killing the driver, police said.
The semi driver, whose name had not been released at press time, was taken to an Indianapolis hospital, where he died from injuries sustained in the crash, according to police.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident, and no other injuries were reported.
The wreck stopped traffic on both sides of the interstate for several hours Wednesday morning as the Indiana Department of Environmental Management cleaned thousands of gallons of oil from the roadway.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryPolice say the accident happened around 9 a.m. when the semi-trailer traveling east ran off the road near mile marker 95. The semitrailer crashed into an overpass bridge in the median, and the impact ripped the trailer in half, spilling oil all over the road, according to state police.
The driver was thrown from the vehicle, state police said in a news release.
Preliminary investigations suggest an issue with the semitrailer’s tire caused it to run off the roadway.
Police closed the interstate to both eastbound and westbound traffic around 10 a.m. because traffic was spreading oil across both sides of the interstate.
By about 1 p.m., the semitrailer had been towed away, and cars on the interstate were moving again. Traffic was slow in both directions as crews remained on scene for cleanup, which lasted well into the afternoon.
