The driver of an 18-wheeler has been treated for minor injuries and released after the load of scrap aluminum on the semi truck he was driving shifted, spilling onto Interstate 85 and causing his truck to overturn near exit 58 in Opelika on Wednesday.
The overturned 18-wheeler brought traffic in the southbound lane of the interstate to a snarl for much of the day as the Opelika police and fire departments and other agencies worked to clean up the scene after the accident that occurred just before 8 a.m.
“Both southbound lanes of the interstate are now open,” Opelika Fire Department Assistant Chief Byron Prather said just after 4 p.m. Wednesday.
“An 18-wheeler was preparing to enter Interstate 85 from the entrance ramp when the driver’s load shifted and spilled onto the inside lane of the southbound traffic lane,” said Opelika Police Department Capt. Allan Elkins. “A second 18-wheeler traveling south struck the debris field and lost control of his vehicle and went into the median, striking a guard rail and the bridge embankment, crossing the northbound lane of traffic before coming to rest facing south on the shoulder of the roadway.”
The second 18-wheeler involved in the accident contained paper products that were being off-loaded from the truck’s trailer Wednesday afternoon, causing traffic flow to be temporarily reduced to one lane, Prather said.
“The driver of the second truck refused treatment on the scene and suffered no injuries,” Prather said.
Both vehicles appeared to be totaled in the accident, Elkins said.
Engineers from the ALDOT will be on hand Thursday as a precautionary measure to inspect a support column of a bridge that the second truck involved in Wednesday’s accident clipped, Prather said.
“The bridge has been deemed safe,” Prather said.
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