On Monday, The Broome County Sheriff's Department reported a tractor-trailer carrying a hazardous material had been involved in an accident at around 1:00 a.m., forcing mandatory evacuations in the immediate area and the closure of Chenango Valley Schools.

More details have come out from the Broome County Sheriff's office regarding the accident.  Interstate 88, between exits 1 and 3  was closed to all traffic yesterday, for east and westbound lanes, including Route 12A, near I88, and service roads as well.

The accident was a one-vehicle accident which occurred on Interstate 88 eastbound at Exit 2 in the Town of Fenton and involved a tractor trailer carrying natural gas. The operator of the truck was 52-year-old Jeffrey Lind of Hallstead, Pennsylvania. Lind was  ejected from the vehicle and located a short distance from the tractor, deceased.

Following a preliminary investigation involving witnesses to the incident, police state that accounts indicate that Lind swerved to avoid hitting a deer in the road, resulting in the crash.

The trailer contained four tanks each filled with compressed methane gas. Due to the accident, one tank within the trailer was damaged and, as a result, an unknown amount of compressed gas vented into the atmosphere. Members of the Broome County Sheriff’s Office and local fire department personnel proceeded by evacuating all homes located within a quarter mile radius of the accident scene as a precautionary measure.

 

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