An accident on a Caroline County road quickly turned into an
environmental concern, when diesel fuel began leaking into a nearby
creek.
Around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 29, a dump truck attempted to pass a
tractor stopped on Antioch Road. According to the owner of the
tractor, the driver was attempting to turn into a driveway when the
dump truck passed.
Gary Gravatt, who runs Windview Farm on Antioch Road, said the route is
well traveled by trucks, and that the tractor was only coming from a
half mile away when the accident occurred.
As the truck went by the tractor on the left side, something punctured
the gas tank on the truck and fuel began spilling onto the road.
The driver of the dump truck, Herman Doyle, has been charged with
unsafe lane change. The truck belonged to a company out of Chantilly.
Police and emergency responders on the scene estimated that between 40
and 75 gallons of fuel spilled onto the road and into creeks running
along the road.
Bowling Green Volunteer Fire and Rescue responded to the scene, along
with the Hazmat team from Ladysmith Volunteer Fire and a back-up crew
from A.P. Hill.
“It was a group effort,” said Hazmat Officer Bo Norton.
Contractors Marshall and Miller out of Ashland will complete the work
to make sure no fuel stays in the water or soil, according to Norton.
He and the county’s emergency responders cleaned up as much of the fuel
as they could while on scene. They laid down material to soak up
spillage as it flowed through the small roadside creek.
