Semi-truck crashes and spills over 100 gallons of diesel fuel on highway

Click here for updates on this story

    COWLITZ COUNTY, WA (KPTV) — A semi-truck carrying Coca-Cola products crashed into a guardrail and spilled over 100 gallons of diesel on Interstate 5 in Cowlitz County.

The crash happened around 8:35 a.m. when the driver identified as Jeremiah J. Carabello, 35, began to choke after taking a drink from an energy drink and blacked out, according to Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn.

Carabello then drove the truck/trailer combo off the right of the roadway striking a guardrail and then coming to a rest partially on its side in a ditch, according to Trooper Finn.

Workers with the company arrived at the scene and unloaded the cargo into another truck which took about four to five hours, authorities said.

The right lane of I-5 at milepost 26 will be closed until the area is cleared and could continue into the evening, Trooper Finn said.

Carabello was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.