Portions of Highway 101 were shut down Tuesday morning in the Carpinteria area following a big-rig crash.
Motorists traveling north Tuesday morning on Highway 101 in the Carpinteria area were greeted with a multi-hour traffic jam after a tanker truck overturned.
The tanker overturned just before 5 a.m. Tuesday on the 101 just south of the Santa Ynez Avenue overcrossing.
A freightliner tractor trailer made an unsafe turning movement, veered to the right and collided with the guardrail and the side portion of the concrete overcrossing, according to the California Highway Patrol.
“The truck continued in a northeasterly direction across the right shoulder and through a fence which separates the U.S. 101 Northbound lanes from residences in Carpinteria,” Officer Shannan Sams, CHP spokesman, said in a statement.
The tractor came to rest within a private driveway on Cramer Circle, and the trailer came to rest on its left side on the right shoulder of the north side of the 101.
The driver, 24-year-old Martin Garcia, of Mexico, suffered minor injuries and was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the CHP said.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, the cause of which remains under investigation.
The north side of the 101 was shut down for several hours following the crash.
Initially, the overturned truck partially blocked the No. 2 northbound lane just south of Santa Monica Road in Carpinteria. Caltrans crews were joined on scene by the CHP and a hazardous materials team, according to Jim Shivers, Caltrans District 5 spokesman.
By 7:30 a.m., all northbound lanes were shut down after the truck leaked fuel and spilled its load of fertilizer, Mr. Shivers said on Twitter.
Around 10 a.m., the big rig was being lifted upright and was eventually towed from the area. All northbound lanes were reopened by 3 p.m., Mr. Shivers said.
The crash affected the morning commute for many, resulting in standstill traffic for multiple hours as crews worked to assess the situation and conduct cleanup.
email: mwhite@newspress.com
