In this incident, on September 6th, 2020, Pro-Tow responded to an emergency dispatch for a truck and trailer overturned into a ditch in Sumner, WA. The fully loaded truck was leaking oil and diesel fuel and was blocking the roadway. We had to get there with Pro-Enviro Motor Vehicle Spill Response as soon as possible.
We sent in our HD rotating crane style wrecker and heavy-duty recovery wrecker for the job. Once on-site, we talked with the incident command post to assess the situation. Two immediate risks were a running, fish-bearing stream on the other side of the roadway and a storm drain within 100 feet. Contaminations of either of these would be hazardous, so we moved quickly on this truck accident recovery.
An assessment of the trailer found diesel fuel, coolant, and hydraulic oil dribbling from the tank. The spill recovery required was extensive.
The trailer itself was also carrying various cargo, including what appeared to be 31 tons of salt like substance. The heavily damaged trailer had become stuck in the embankment, alongside trees and the ditch. We called for additional equipment, including a compact track loader, flatbed tow truck, major incident special equipment support vehicle, and extra hands.
Truck Accident Recovery
Our Pro-Tow team worked with the Sumner Police Department and City of Sumner Public Works to authorize our recovery plan. Once given the authorization, we began our work.
Using rigging, we dislodged the trailer’s rear from the muddy embankment and then emptied the trailer load. The emptying process continued with the help of our rotator. Then, using recovery wreckers, we began the safe process of rightening the truck. This process was extra complicated as the roadway barely had a shoulder and a very narrow hairpin turn. The road began to fail during the process, so we installed additional ground bearing to increase the truck accident recovery process’s safety. This action helped to further damage to the roadway.
With our attention to safety, the truck was successfully rightened and ready to prepare for heavy-duty towing to the storage yard. All necessary equipment was reconditioned and returned to the original locations, prepared for the next call.
Team Pro-Enviro then handled spill recovery cleaning for the roadway of the spilled fuel, oil, and cargo products. They also tackled the extensive cleanup of the ditch spill, which had leaked during the truck recovery.
All Nighter
Our qualified professionals continued to work tirelessly, continuing the work with a 4-hour calling process to coordinate with various people and companies. It turns out the salt-like substance that spilled from the trailer was livestock feed. We got a good-faith estimate from the truck owner and found a local dairy farmer willing to take a substantial amount of the animal feed for their lucky cows. We then obtained the necessary soil samples for testing and continued to work through the next morning until we finished the cleanup. Our team finalized all the required paperwork, reconditioned any final equipment, and got the all-clear call.
Team Pro-Tow and Team Pro-Enviro complete another heavy-duty towing and spill recovery job successfully!
If you require truck accident recovery, give Pro-tow 24-Hour Towing a call.
