A truck driver was arrested yesterday in Moundville, Alabama, for intentionally dumping 2,000 gallons of jet fuel onto the road. According to WBRC 6 News, police say that the truck spilled fuel across five miles, including on a bridge over a creek. A hazmat team was required to clean up the mess and, thankfully, any public health danger has been averted.
Before dumping the fuel, the driver, 58-year-old Alphonso Terry Jr., was trying to fill up his tanker at a local gas depot but was turned away. He was told he needed to discharge the existing fuel, as the depot can’t mix fuels. But instead of driving to the nearest discharge station in Meridian, Mississippi, about 90 miles away, Terry decided to save himself time and dump the fuel onto the road by releasing valves and bypassing safety mechanisms. Since the fuel continued to spill as the truck crossed a bridge over a creek, there was worry that it could contaminate the waterways, causing a health risk. Thankfully, the hazmat team prevented it from getting into the water.
“We had Tuscaloosa Fire hazmat team respond immediately and they came down and prevented it from getting in the water like the creeks, so none of this fuel was spilled in the waterways, and they’re working hard right now to get it off the roadway before the rain comes,” said Hale County EMA (Emergency Management) Director Russ Weeden, per WBRC 6.
It’s unclear how the mess was cleaned. The hazmat team could have used fire hoses to wash the fuel into storm drains, absorbing material to soak it up, or both.
Terry was arrested on the spot for five counts of spillage and one count of criminal mischief, but other charges could be coming. I’m not sure how Terry thought he’d get away with this. Watching thousands of gallons of fuel continuously spill out of a tanker isn’t exactly something you see every day, so people are bound to notice. Another driver saw the fuel leaking from Terry’s truck and called the police.
Locals who live along the roads where Terry dumped the fuel have been told to contact Moundville Police and file a report if they find any hazardous spillage on their property. They’ve also been told to be cautious around the edges of their property, as any leftover fuel can be flammable.
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