I-15 in Draper, Utah was closed for over 12 hours after a chain reaction crash created a 1500 gallon oil spill. KUTV2 News posted this dashcam video from trucker Jessee Kelly that has me thinking someone was not paying attention to the icy roadway.
Video: KUTV 2News/Jessee Kelly
At around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, there was a crash where a semi traveling north on I-15 near Exit 288 at Point of the Mountain, Utah. A trucker pulling an Amazon trailer lost control on the icy road, jackknifing and blocked the right lane.
Shortly after, a car tried to change lanes to avoid the truck and was hit by a pickup truck moving at a high speed. Moments later, a semi pulling double tankers loaded with nearly 2000 gallons of crude oil collided with the pileup.
Luckily, no one was injured in the chaos. The Utah Department of Transportation and Highway Patrol quickly closed the highway and diverted traffic after they discovered the scope of the incident scene.
The oil had caused the snow to melt, allowing the spill to spread quickly and encompass a larger area than they expected. Multiple truckloads of sand were dumped onto the roadway to absorb the sludge.
The road was fully closed until Thursday morning at approximately 10:00 local time. Some exits and lane closures were active until Noon Friday when all lanes were reopened, ahead of more expected snowfall.
