An overturned tanker continues to wreak havoc on Houston area traffic, as emergency crews rushed to clear debris and contain any potentially hazardous materials along the 610 West Loop in the Galleria area. Both directions of the busy freeway were closed and are expected to reopen between 1 and 2 p.m.
According to KHOU Ch. 11, a tanker truck carrying a load of methanol flipped onto its side just before 6 a.m. when the driver was unable to make the curve on the U.S. 59 exit ramp.
"Highway accidents like this can be a challenge because there are often no nearby water sources."
Pieces of the vehicle were scattered across the elevated roadway and several of the truck's wheels fell onto a construction area below the crash site. A portion of the tanker was spotted hanging over the concrete barrier.
Other than a few minor scrapes on the driver, no other injuries have been reported.
At first, methanol — a highly-flammable type of alcohol often used to create formaldehyde, gasoline additives and alternative fuels — was not discovered to be leaking from the truck, according to early reports from Jay Evans with the Houston Fire Department.
Later in the morning, however, Fox 26 was told by an HPD district chief that a small amount of methanol has spilled from the tanker. Firefighters dug a trench to contain the chemical, while also cleaning up two other diesel leaks from the vehicle's side fuel tanks.
"Highway accidents like this can be a challenge because there are often no nearby water sources," Evans tells CultureMap. "We had to lay hose for several blocks."
After clearing the spills, HFD collaborated with emergency workers to secure and remove the truck's tanker.
The accident pushed northbound traffic onto Westpark Drive as closed southbound lanes forced traffic to exit the loop near the Galleria.
The truck was hauling methanol — a highly-flammable type of alcohol used to create formaldehyde, gasoline additives and alternative fuels.
