Tractor Trailer Accident Closes I-10

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A semi trailer carrying hazardous gas overturned on I-10 early Sunday, closing a four mile stretch of the interstate for most of the day. The accident occurred when the truck swerved to avoid car that had stopped suddenly in the right hand lane.

The Times-Picayune reports:

Trucker William Reeves, 50, of Lake Charles swerved to avoid the car and ran off the road into a ditch on its left side. One of the trailer's five cylinders leaked.

When Reeves got out of his truck, he told Carpenter he was having trouble breathing. The officer went to help and was himself overcome by fumes, as were Washington and Ascension Parish Sheriff's Deputy Michael Richardson, who went to help.

The truck was carrying silicon tetrafluoride, which is shipped as a gas instead of liquid.

Read more about the trucking accident.