Sipesville Volunteer Fire Company

On August 2, at 02:26 hours, Stations 607 and 900 were dispatched for an MVA with minor injuries at the 107.0 mile-marker of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Before responding, dispatch advised that one tractor trailer was involved in the accident and that the saddle tanks were ruptured. Tanker 607-2 (S. Kovach), Squad 5/HazMat 6 (S. Forry), and Engine 4 (R. Zambanini) responded to the scene. Turnpike PSP Somerset 3 arrived on scene and established incident command, reporting one tractor trailer with heavy damage and a fuel spill of approximately 40 gallons from a nearly-full saddle tank. Upon arrival at the scene the squad crew quickly went to work containing the spill and patching the ruptured saddle tank. The majority of the spilled fuel was contained to the berm of the roadway and did not reach any storm drains or water sources. Absorbent HazMat pads were used to control the spilled fuel, while clay was used to create a plug over the hole in the passenger's side saddle tank. The truck appeared to have run off the right side of the roadway into a rocky embankment, which literally peeled the passenger's side of the truck and the roof of the trailer off like a can-opener. The driver of the truck sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital by Somerset Area Ambulance Medic 957. Herring Motors assisted at the scene with a heavy wrecker to remove the damaged truck from the right lane of the Turnpike. Sipesville fire units handled the situation exceptionally well with the resources and personnel that responded on the alarm, and did not require assistance from the Turnpike Spill Team initially dispatched on the incident. All units cleared the scene and PSP Somerset 3 transferred command to Turnpike Maintenance after approximately one hour.

*Please note the following pictures were taken the morning after the crash with the permission of Herring Motors. No pictures were taken on the Turnpike at the time of the incident per their request.