|

Overturned semi hauling distillery slop stops traffic Monday on Bluegrass Parkway

Fire consumed the cab of this 18-wheeled tanker hauling distillery slop on the Bluegrass Parkway Monday afternoon. The crash closed traffic in both directions for a time. Photo submitted.

NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 — An overturned semi tanker truck that caught fire closed both the east and westbound lanes of the Bluegrass Parkway for several hours Monday afternoon.

At about 3:25, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched for single-vehicle accident near the 16 mile marker eastbound on the Bluegrass Parkway. A woman driving a Volkswagen fell asleep and her car ran off the road before crashing, sending debris back up on the roadway.

A semi tanker truck approaching the accident scene was unable to stop and swerved to avoid the stopped traffic. His truck entered the median and overturned before it began to burn.

The semi was driven by Cody Reed, 26, of Tollesboro, who was uninjured in the crash.

Reed was hauling distillery slop from the Jim Beam Booker Noe plant in Boston to a farm in Morehead.

The fire destroyed the cab of the semi. Responders had to wait for another tanker to arrive Monday evening in order to offload the distillery slop before the tanker could be turned upright and then removed. Only a very small amount of the slop was spilled at the crash scene.

The woman driving the Volkswagen who was involved in the first crash was not injured.

The eastbound lanes of the parkway were closed until the semi tanker trailer was removed at about midnight Monday.

In addition to the sheriff’s office, Nelson County EMS and Nelson County Emergency Management also responded to the scene.

-30-

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Please follow and like us:

Comments are closed

Subscribe to get new posts in your email!