Tanker with about 8K gallons of tar flips in Esopus

ESOPUS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — On Thursday, at about 8:10 a.m., deputies with the Ulster County Sheriff's Office responded to Old Post Road at the intersection of Maple Street for the report of a car crash involving an overturned semi-truck with a tanker trailer. When deputies arrived, they located the driver of the semi-truck, who had already gotten himself out of the overturned vehicle. The driver was identified as a 58-year-old man from Freehold, New York.

Emergency medical personnel from the Town of Esopus Volunteer Ambulance Squad and Mobile Life tended to the driver, who sustained minor injuries in the crash. He was taken to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital by the ambulance squad.

An investigation at the scene revealed that the driver was the sole occupant of the tanker truck and was operating with a full load consisting of about 8,000 gallons of tar. Officials said the driver failed to complete a right-hand turn when the trailer tank struck a culvert, causing the tank to capsize, then the truck.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police and firefighters from the City of Kingston Fire Department Hazmat Unit responded to the scene due to the high risk of a hazardous spill. Members of the St. Remy Fire Department and Rifton Fire Department responded as well.

The tank holding the tar remained intact and no hazardous material was spilled. No charges were reported against the driver.