Crews Clean Up Fuel After Semi Truck Flips On West River Drive

Thousands of Michigan drivers across the state are hitting the road today to enjoy a long Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Get our free mobile app

Some of those drivers in West Michigan ran into back ups way sooner than they were probably expecting because of an early morning accident involving a semi truck.

Early Friday morning first responders were called to a semi crash that happened on West River Dr. near Ballpark Dr.

Thankfully the crash looked worse than it was with only minor injuries reported.

According to the Plainfield Township Fire Department fuel spilled after the semi truck flip over.

At the time of the article being posted (Friday May 24th at 12:30 pm) traffic is currently being directed around both North and Southbound West River Drive NE as crews work to clean up the mess from the accident and work on containing and cleaning up the spilled fuel.

When fuel spills happen like this morning it can take awhile to clean everything up.

Hazmat crews follow specific steps to clean up a diesel fuel spill:

• Evacuate personnel from the spill area and eliminate ignition sources, as diesel fuel is flammable. Contacting the fire department if needed.

• Identify the spilled substance (diesel fuel) and notify the hazmat response team.
  Attempt to barricade and contain the spill area if possible.

• The hazmat crew, with proper personal protective equipment (PPE) like respirators and chemical-resistant suits, will stop the source of the spill.

• They will use absorbents like granular materials, pads, and booms to soak up and contain the spilled diesel fuel. Dispersants may also be applied to the spill.

• The absorbed diesel fuel and used absorbents are then collected and properly disposed of according to regulations, as diesel is a hazardous material.

• Finally the area is decontaminated and cleaned thoroughly by the hazmat crew to remove any remaining diesel residue.

Traffic delays are frustrating, epically when it's a holiday weekend and you wanna get away and relax.

Please be careful as you hit the road and have a safe Memorial Day Weekend.