A military vehicle rolled into a ditch on the Richardson Highway on Thursday afternoon, part of a convoy of military vehicles from Fort Wainwright.
According to John Pennell, the 11th Airborne Division media relations chief, the convoy was driving between 35 and 40 miles per hour in a section of the road with two lanes. As the two lanes merged, a civilian car sped up and merged in front of a fueler to pass the convoy.
The driver of the fueler — which was transporting approximately 1,700 gallons of fuel — tried to slow down to avoid hitting the car, but slid on a patch of black ice and drifted into a snowbank where it rolled over, Pennell said.
“As it rolled over, the lid of one of its fuel tanks came off and spilled fuel onto the ground but the Soldiers responding were able to quickly place the lid back on and ended the leak,” Pennell said.
Emergency medical personnel, environmental specialists, and recovery vehicles, including a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), responded to the incident.
“There was no serious loss of fuel,” Pennell said. “Spill kits were immediately emplaced and EMS reacted quickly.”
Both the driver and passenger of the fueler left the incident without injuries.
Alaska State Troopers directed traffic around the incident from around 1:40 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. on Thursday.
Contact Haley Lehman at 907-459-7575 or by email at hlehman@newsminer.com
