(Updated) Two crashes caused traffic tie-ups and an oil spill Wednesday morning.
A driver cut off an Apple Oil truck on Ella Grasso Boulevard at 7:02 a.m. near the I‑95 Exit past Kimberly Avenue, causing the truck’s driver to swerve and roll over, according to police Capt. Jeff Hoffman. A “very small amount of heating oil” started spilling from the truck. The fire department’s hazmat unit arrived, as did a crew from the state Department of Energy and Environment Protection. Ramps to and from I‑95 Exit 44 were closed, along with the Boulevard, causing traffic to back up. No one was seriously injured, Hoffman said.
The truck was carrying 2,800 gallons of oil, according to Acting Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Neville. He said no one was injured in the accident.
“A small amount — reported to be less than 10 gallons of home heating oil — spilled onto the road surface. None of the fuel made it to a catch-basin or storm drain. The spilled fuel was recovered by firefighters and a clean up crew from the state DEEP,” police spokesman Officer David Hartman later reported in a release issued at 10:33 a.m. “Traffic remains impacted in the area as crews siphon out the truck’s content before righting it.”
Meanwhile, at 6:54 a.m. a school bus was involved in a crash with two other vehicles at Fitch and Blake streets.
The school bus was from Foran High School in Milford. Three students were in the bus along with the driver.
Firefighters did have to extricate the driver of one of the other cars, he said. She was taken to the hospital complaining of neck and back injuries; she was being treated for what Hartman called “serious but non-life-threatening injuries.” Two occupants of the third car were also taken to the hospital for evaluation, according to fire Battalion Chief Gould.
Hartman provided the following update at 10:59 a.m.:
“Three vehicles were involved; a school bus occupied by the driver and three teenage students; a Mazda car occupied by its operator and no one else, and a Mercedes Benz car occupied by its operator and one passenger.
“One of the bus passengers, a 14-year-old girl, was taken to the hospital for an evaluation. She was not injured and has since been released. The two occupants of the Mercedes Benz, a 25-year-old man and a 30-year-old-man, were taken to the hospital for evaluation. According to the investigating officer, they showed no signs of evident injury at the scene. The operator of the Mazda, a 44-year-old woman, was taken to the hospital for treatment of a shoulder injury.
“The traffic control signal at the intersection was set to flash. The signal flashed yellow for Blake Street and red for Fitch Street. The bus was heading west on Blake Street. The Mazda was heading south on Fitch Street. The Mercedes Benz was stopped facing east on Blake Street.
“At this point in the investigation, it appears the bus had the right of way and that the Mazda driver failed to stop for the red flashing signal.
“State officials will inspect the bus as the NHPD’s investigation continues. Investigators are hoping a video recording of the crash will confirm the light cycle pattern and ultimately determine who is at fault beyond the initial findings.”
