Southbound Freeway To Close Briefly For Overturned Tanker Recovery

UPDATE AT 1:40 P.M.: The southbound side of the San Diego (5) Freeway will be closed for several minutes as tow trucks pull the overturned truck back onto the freeway. The closure is expected to last just moments.

MISSION VIEJO, CA — A big rig loaded with propane rolled over several times on the southbound San Diego (5) Freeway, spilling hazardous materials in Mission Viejo, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The wreck had shutdown the southbound lanes of the freeway at Crown Valley Parkway. A SigAlert has been issued for the area as a hazardous material cleanup teams works to clean up the mess.

The crash was reported shortly after 8:30 a.m. on the southbound side of the freeway north of Crown Valley Parkway, said Orange County Fire Authority Captain Larry Kurtz. According to witnesses, the truck driver had slammed on his breaks to avoid hitting stopped vehicles ahead. He lost control of the truck, which flipped over several times down into an embankment. His truck was carrying 2500 gallons of propane, which began leaking, said Kurtz.

Crews deployed a technique called a freeze-wrap to contain the leak, and, as of 1:30 p.m., multiple tow trucks were poised to pull the overturned truck back onto the freeway, triggering a temporary closure of all southbound lanes.

The 37-year-old driver was transported to a local hospital as a trauma patient but he is expected to recover, said Kurtz.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. PLEASE REFRESH THE SCREEN FOR UPDATES.

Photo courtesy of the Orange County Fire Authority