Hazardous materials crews in New Jersey said they have averted potential environmental damage after cleaning up about 500 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled onto a Secaucus highway and wooded area during an overnight tanker truck accident on December 6.
WCBS News reports that the accident happened just after midnight on Route 3 when the driver of the diesel truck was allegedly cut off by another vehicle, forcing him to swerve into the woods. The truck then overturned, spilling about 500 of the 3,000 gallons of fuel the tanker was carrying at the time of the accident.
Police also had to evacuate eight nearby homes as a precaution. Officials told the news agency they feared the fuel may have caught fire. Many hazmat crews use top spill containment products from Impact Absorbents such as spill cleanup kits and absorbent pads to prevent spills from spreading or causing further environmental damage.
Hazmat crews said they had to work extra hard to keep the fuel contained and to prevent it from spreading into a nearby stream.
All residents were allowed back in their homes a few hours after the accident.
