A HAZMAT team was called to the scene of an accident on Highway 395 in Hermiston on Monday after a pickup collided with a semi-truck causing its fuel tank to rupture.
According to the Hermiston Police Department, the accident occurred around 2 p.m. when a 1996 Chevy pickup driven by James Zimmerman, 68, of Hermiston, was traveling northbound on Highway 395. The Chevy began to drift into the southbound lane and struck a 2018 Peterbilt commercial truck driven by Ronald Grey, 58, of Coeur d’Alene.
The driver’s side fuel tank of the semi ruptured, spilling a large amount of diesel fuel onto the highway, according to the HPD.
Umatilla County Fire District #1 Hazardous Materials personnel arrived on scene for containment and clean-up of the fuel spill. Grey was uninjured from the crash, and Zimmerman was transported via ambulance to the Good Shepherd Medical Center for reported minor injuries. Hermiston police said there were no signs of impairment from any of the parties involved.
