HAZMAT Truck Crash Closes I-10 In Southeast Texas

A tractor-trailer carrying a dangerous and toxic load crashed on Interstate 10 in Texas last week, spilling hazardous materials onto the road and injuring the truck driver.

The big rig HAZ MAT accident took place about 60 miles outside of Houston on I-10 near Hamshire on August 30, causing some local residents to be evacuated from their homes. Texas police say that truck wreck took place when the 18-wheeler struck a pickup truck and overturned, spilling the dangerous chemical isobutene. Isobutene is a flammable, corrosive chemical that could be harmful to humans.

The truck driver, 30-year-old Branden Swiney was transported to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. No one else was injured in the truck accident. The interstate was closed for almost three days as cleanup crews swept the area between Texas 73 and Farm Road 365.

According to the Department of Transportation, an estimated 200 truck crashes involving hazardous materials take place each year.