Thursday, 4:30 PM
Tractor trailer acccident ties up Expressway
By Megan Tench, Globe staff
A mid-morning tractor trailer rollover on the Southeast Expressway today caused a traffic nightmare, at its peak delaying drivers from as far north as Somerville to the southbound Braintree split for as much as two hours.
State police and clean up crews worked on an estimated 50 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled onto the roadways, said Trooper David Paine. Officials believed that portions of the roadwy would remain closed for the evening commute, but shortly after 3 p.m. all southbound lanes were re-opened.
The driver of the tractor trailer, George Marion, 63, of Holden suffered minor injuries in the accident, Paine said. Marion told police that around 10:50 a.m. he attempted to slow down with the rest of the traffic, Paine said. While the cab he was in steadied, the trailer portion of his rig fishtailed and rolled over.
"One of the tanks on the cab was split open and about 50 gallons of fuel ended up on the roadway," Paine said.
The spill forced police to shut down three southbound lanes and two northbound lanes right after the accident, grinding a major artery in and out of the city to a halt.
