Two similar accidents in the rain
Highway 59 at 288 closed after truck overturns
Authorities have closed a portion of Highway 59 at 288 after a Dr. Pepper truck flipped off an overpass and caught fire Monday afternoon. The truck was reportedly traveling on 288 toward downtown and flipped over, falling around 50 feet onto the Southwest Freeway. Fire officials are on the scene. Channel 13 reports that the inbound lanes of Highway 59 have been closed.
Observers tweeting from the scene said another vehicle was involved in the accident and that the driver was being given CPR. Channel 39 reports the driver is being transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition with "severe burns."
It was the second incident of a large truck losing control on slick roads Monday afternoon. An 18-wheeler flipped over on Highway 288 near the South Loop about an hour earlier.
Despite the diversions, traffic was flowing relatively smoothly around the scene of the two accidents, largely because the rush hour is not significant on a holiday.