Hazardous Material Truck Driver Cited After Spill On Salem Highway | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

One of the many reasons that Carolina truck accidents can be more dangerous than other kinds of vehicle accidents is that big rigs often carry loads of hazardous, flammable, or explosive materials. A truck accident involving hazardous materials can result in serious injuries for all those involved and can even affect those living in nearby neighborhoods. For example, a hazardous material truck crash could result in respiratory injuries, burns, chemical burns, and exposure to toxins.

On Tuesday, March 9, just such a hazardous material tanker truck accident occurred. According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, 57-year-old truck driver Morris Glozie was driving on highway NC 150 and turning right onto a service road when his big rig wheels went into a ditch and overturned his tractor-trailer. The truck accident spilled a large amount of hazardous materials onto the road and surrounding area – including a potentially flammable material called toluene.

The North Carolina hazardous material truck accident led to a citation for unsafe movement for the Mooresville truck driver. In addition, a number of homes and businesses in the area had to be evacuated while crews cleaned up the 8,000 gallons of spilled liquids. Highway NC 150 was also shut down for most of the day while the clean-up took place.

Truckers carrying hazardous materials are heavily regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, this does not fully prevent all hazardous truck accidents from taking place.