UPDATED 8 p.m. Dec. 4
After drifting off the side of the road and riding along the ditch for nearly 100 yards, a Safeway delivery truck jackknifed into the road with the trailer blocking traffic …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you had an active account on our previous website, then you have an account here. Simply reset your password to regain access to your account.
If you did not have an account on our previous website, but are a current print subscriber, click here to set up your website account.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
* Having trouble? Call our circulation department at 360-385-2900, or email our support.
Please log in to continue |
|
This Safeway delivery truck ruptured a fuel tank after it jackknifed across SR 19 Monday afternoon near milepost six. East Jefferson Fire Rescue, Port Ludlow Fire and Rescue and Naval Magazine Indian Island units responded initially. The truck blocked SR 19 entirely and the Department of Ecology responded to the scene to clean up the spill. Photo by Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire Rescue
This Safeway delivery truck veered into a ditch along SR 19 before jackknifing into the middle of the road, completely blocking traffic around 2:05 p.m., Dec. 3. The truck was leaking fuel and a cleanup operation was in place as of late Monday afternoon. Photo by Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire Rescue
UPDATED 8 p.m. Dec. 4
After drifting off the side of the road and riding along the ditch for nearly 100 yards, a Safeway delivery truck jackknifed into the road with the trailer blocking traffic on State Route 19 for more than 10 hours Monday, Dec. 3.
According to a Washington State Patrol release Tuesday, the driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing the truck to drift off the road. The release states the driver was using a seatbelt. Drugs or alcohol were not involved, according to the WSP.
Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire Rescue spokesperson, said the driver of the 18-wheel semi was uninjured but shaken up. The accident occurred around 2:05 p.m. The driver was northbound and delivering groceries to the Port Townsend Safeway, Beezley said.
“The driver’s fortunate to be uninjured. He’s a lucky man,” Beezley said. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.
Charges of second-degree negligent driving are pending against the driver, Bradley Billingsley, 54, of Seattle.
The truck spilled its cargo of food, diapers and paper towels across the roadside, Beezley said. He added one of the vehicle’s fuel tanks was ruptured and was spilling gasoline or diesel into a roadside creek.
A hazardous response crew from Naval Magazine Indian Island worked to contain the spill, Beezley said. He said units from EJFR, Port Ludlow Fire and Rescue and Indian Island responded to the scene.
“It’s not a large leak; it’s a pretty small leak, but we’re being pretty proactive about blocking it off,” Beezley said.
The owner of a nearby farm used his backhoe to help fire crews build several dams to contain the spill, which Beezley said was most likely engine oil.
Beezley said by around 4:15 WSDOT, the WSP and the Department of Ecology had all responded to the scene and local firefighters were standing down. He said the trailer’s roof was being cut open to remove its remaining cargo. Beezley noted heavy rain made the situation “kind of miserable” for response crews.
Beezley said the truck’s trailer was completely totaled.
State Route 19 was reopened at 12:45 a.m., Dec. 4.
During the time SR 19 was closed on Dec. 3, a female motorist using the detour on Oak Bay Road was seriously hurt when the vehicle she was driving overturned. The driver was airlifted to Harborview with chest injuries and multiple lower extremities fractures.
