I-70 Accidents Snarl Traffic
(Fairview VFD photo)
Tuesday afternoon around 3:00, just hours before a planned water extension meeting at the Pennyroyal Opera House in Fairview, a tanker truck overturned on westbound I-70 just beyond the Fairview #198 Exit.
What ensued was the cancellation of the meeting, and an official westbound detour route from Hendrysburg to Middlebourne west and north on SR 800, west on US 22 and south on SR 513.
The detour was in place until 6:00 the following morning, according to social media posts by the Fairview VFD.
The cause for the extra caution was that about 10-15 gallons of the product leaked from the tanker as police, first responders and hazardous containment specialists worked to contain and remove contaminated soil from the site.
Further, the department notice stated, “residents concerned about the safety of their well water on the west end of Fairview to the bottom of the hill on Pennyroyal Road, can contact the Guernsey County Health Department for assistance in testing well water out of an abundance of caution.”
The department spokesperson noted though officials were confident no product escaped the containment zone.
Responding to the emergency were a multitude of agencies and departments including
Antrim Fire Department, Lore City Fire Department, Old Washington Fire Department, Oxford Township Trustees, Guernsey County 911 Dispatch, Guernsey County Emergency Management, Guernsey County Highway Department, Belmont County Highway Department, Guernsey and Belmont commissioners, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio PUCO, Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Transportation in both counties ODOT staff from both counties.
Federal assistance was offered by the US Department of Transportation and US EPA although it was not needed.
(Fairview VFD photo)
Then in the early morning hours of Saturday morning, Fairview Fire and EMS, Barnesville Fire and EMS and Bethesda EMS squads responded to a two-vehicle accident on Eastbound I-70 at the 198-mile marker. The call noted there was a possible entrapment involved.
Crews discovered a single axle box truck had overturned blocking both lanes of I-70 Eastbound. The overturned truck was struck by an eastbound pickup truck.
By the time departments responded, all occupants were out of vehicles. The driver of the box truck was treated at the scene by Fairview EMS and refused transport to hospital. The driver of the pickup was transported by Barnesville EMS with minor injuries.
The eastbound lanes were closed until 6:00 am while fire crews along with towing companies removed crash debris from the roadway.
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On Sunday afternoon, at mile post 204 between Route 800 and Lady Bend Hill, a one vehicle crash in the westbound lanes resulted in restricting traffic to one lane until the vehicle was towed from the scene. No injuries were reported. Barnesville and Fairview departments responded.
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