Overturned truck spills sulfuric acid on North Carolina interstate

A tanker truck overturned burst into flames and spilled sulfuric acid onto 1-26 in Henderson County late Tuesday night.

Police said that the tanker truck driven by Allan Thomas Van Damme of Ontario, Canada was traveling eastbound when the driver lost control of his truck and overturned just before the Green River Bridge. The truck burst into flame because of the sulfuric acid it was carrying. The truck then slid onto the bridge, which may have been damaged by the acid leak.

The truck driver was able to crawl out of the truck before it caught fire. He was taken to a hospital in Asheville with non-life threatening injuries.

Residents in a one mile radius of the accident had to be evacuated from their homes for several hours while Hazmat crews worked to clean up the corrosive material.

Both eastbound and westbound lanes of I-26 had to be closed, but the westbound lanes have been re-opened. Officials are checking to make certain the bridge has not been, and is structurally sound enough to accommodate traffic before opening the eastbound lanes.

Police are trying to determine if speed or mechanical problems caused the driver to lose control.

When a driver is at fault for the ensuing damages the interested parties can hire a truck accident lawyer to seek compensation.

In this particular accident, no major injuries were reported, but there is significant property damage, the costs of which can be recovered with the help of a truck accident attorney. The skills and knowledge of a truck accident attorney make them crucial to any case involving large commercial vehicles.