Tag Archives: Interstate

Motorsport

Human Waste Spill On I-95 In Connecticut Causes Chaos and Wrecked Police Cars

A semi-truck carrying human waste started leaking on Interstate 95 near Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Monday night, turning the road into a slippery mess. While no one was seriously injured, the spill resulted in multiple accidents, leading the police to close the northbound lane for approximately three hours.

Upon receiving reports of a truck “spilling an unknown substance” around 10:30 p.m., Connecticut police arrived at the scene to find the road covered in fecal matter, creating slippery conditions that caused several crashes.

After the waste spillage, a Toyota Avalon lost control and crashed into a concrete barrier, followed by a Honda Civic colliding with two concrete barriers before sliding across the northbound lanes. Another collision occurred between another Honda Civic and a Honda CR-V shortly after. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported in any of these incidents.

At around 11 p.m., a motorcyclist also lost control of his bike and fell due to the slippery road. He sustained minor injuries and was taken to a Bridgeport Hospital but was later released.

The most severe accident took place at 11:41 p.m. involving a truck and two state police cruisers. The Connecticut troopers had parked their cruisers in the median with their emergency lights on to warn drivers of an accident and assist those involved. While doing so, a Freightliner tractor-trailer jackknifed, hitting the driver’s side of another semi-truck. As a result, it slid into the median and collided with one of the state police cruisers, pushing it forward and striking the other parked cruiser in front of it.

The driver of the leaking truck was apprehended by the police after being contacted by his employer and instructed to pull over. The 34-year-old man from Waterbury, Connecticut, was driving a 2017 Mack truck that was still leaking when he was found. He was arrested and charged with reckless driving, driving with an unsecured load, and a dozen counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. He was later released on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on August 8.

Motorsport

I-95 Freeway Partially Collapses In Philadelphia Near Delaware River

A section of Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia collapsed around 6:30 AM Sunday morning after a large fire started under an overpass near Cottman Avenue. Officials indicated that a fuel tanker may have been the source of the fire, causing part of the northbound lanes to buckle. The southbound lanes also appear weakened by the blaze and could be structurally compromised.  

Eyewitnesses reported flames shooting up from the roadway as thick black smoke filled the sky. As a result, officials closed a two-mile radius of I-95 in both directions. According to the City of Philadelphia Managing Director’s Office, it will take quite some time to address the roadway collapse, which is part of the main arterial roadway running north and south along the east coast of the United States. 

While a fuel tanker fire appears to be the source of the roadway collapse, no cause has yet been determined for the fire itself. Before the fire, several explosions were heard in the area, with people reporting manhole covers “flipping like coins.” The area contains several sewer systems and a water treatment plant. Environmentally it will be hard to contain the chemicals if they spill, which could leak into the nearby Delaware River. 

In addition to the potential for chemical spillage, Meteorologist Tammie Souza of CBS News in Philadelphia says winds are blowing to the north. As a result, dangerous airborne chemicals, including acids, sulfates, and nitrates, are being carried to the north and east of the city. Particulate matter, such as dust, soot, oils, and other chemicals, is also posing health concerns related to poor air quality and may leave a greasy oil film on anything in the path of the smoke. As a result, people should stay indoors until air quality improves. 

Currently, there are no known injuries or fatalities. The roadway collapse is the first we’ve seen since one in Pittsburgh a year ago but will have a more serious, far-reaching effect due to the importance of the I-95 corridor. Traffic in Philadelphia could be snarled worse than in Portland, Oregon during a snowstorm for an undetermined amount of time.