A tractor-trailer loaded with 60,000 pounds of trash from Claremont rolled over early Tuesday morning on Interstate 89 in Warner, spilling garbage all over the highway and shutting down the southbound lanes for several hours.
Authorities say Shilo White, 46, of Charlestown, was driving the 2014 Western Star truck too fast when it flipped while on the I-89 south on-ramp at Exit 9 and slid onto the interstate. He was transporting garbage to Rochester.
At the same time, a Dodge pickup truck passing through on the interstate attempted to avoid the truck by slowing down and moving to the left lane. The pick-up, driven by a 25-year-old man from Concord, came to a stop in the debris.
Neither of the drivers were injured.
White was issued a summons for speeding.
The crash was first reported to state police at 5:24 a.m. Police rerouted traffic around Exit 9 as I-89 south was closed for several hours.
S.G. Reed Truck Service of Claremont was contacted to remove the tractor-trailer and clean up the debris on the highway.
Some trash spilled into the Warner River beneath the interstate, and fluids leaked out from the tractor-trailer. The state departments of transportation and environmental services are overseeing the cleanup.
DES spokesman Jim Martin said the spill into the river was not too severe and none of the fluid leaked into the water.
“It didn’t appear to be that much, maybe a couple of trash bags that opened up,” Martin said. “A small amount of hydraulic fuel was released from the (tractor-trailer) but it was contained onsite by the fire department before it could reach the river.”
The Warner Fire Department assisted state authorities responding to the crash.
The collision is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Anthony Pratt at 223-8496.