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A truck carrying 42,000 pounds of frozen french fries struck an overpass on a Westchester County parkway, causing a fuel spill and a closure of the roadway's lanes in one direction.
The incident happened on Wednesday morning, Feb. 1 around 6:50 a.m., when a tractor-trailer traveling south on the Hutchinson River Parkway in Scarsdale hit the Mamaroneck Road bridge, Westchester County Police Public Information Officer Kieran O'Leary said.
As a result of the crash, 75 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from the trailer's refrigeration unit onto the parkway and into a nearby stream. The truck was compromised from the crash.
The southbound lanes of the parkway in the area of the Mamaroneck Road exit (Exit 12) have since reopened as of 1:30 p.m. The closure was to allow for the cleanup of the fuel spill.
The driver, who police have not identified but is said to be a Tennessee man hauling the fries from Maine, will be issued a summons for:
- Unauthorized use of a restricted vehicle on the parkway for driving a commercial vehicle;
- Driving an overweight vehicle on the parkway;
- Disobeying signs and pavement markings warning of no trucks and low bridges.
The state's Department of Environmental Conservation was notified of the oil spill, O'Leary said.
No injuries were reported from the crash.
Police said that the driver was using a non-commercial grade GPS program that told him to drive on the parkway.
The destroyed trailer and the frozen fries were able to be removed from the road before the rush from the evening commute, police said.
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