I-285 in DeKalb closed for 7 hours after tanker truck hits sign, spills fuel
Drivers in DeKalb County faced grueling delays from mid-morning until the evening commute Monday after a tanker truck crashed, causing an overhead sign to fall onto the Perimeter and requiring more than seven hours of fuel and debris cleanup.
The incident on I-285 about 10 a.m. sent the truck driver to a hospital in critical condition, according to DeKalb fire department spokesman Capt. Dion Bentley. The interstate did not reopen until just before 5 p.m.
Authorities said the tanker smashed into a road sign hanging above the southbound lanes near Memorial Drive. The impact brought the sign down onto I-285, Bentley said, and also caused the tanker to spill the fuel it was carrying all over the road.
Bentley estimated that about 7,500 gallons of fuel were spilled.
All southbound lanes were shut down at Memorial Drive. The sign was removed from the Perimeter about 2:45 p.m., but it took several more hours for crews to clean up the thousands of gallons of gasoline.
No other update was provided on the driver’s condition.
The Environmental Protection Agency was called to investigate, Bentley confirmed.
About the Author
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
