An 18 wheeler traveling Alabama Highway 35 ruptured a saddle tank after the driver said he stuck some sort of metal debris in the road on Friday morning. Fuel sprayed all over the Highway and on passing vehicles for approximately 6-8 miles before the truck stopped at the Gaylesville Four Way Stop across from the Gaylesville Fire Station.

Officials with the Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency responded to the scene and made an assessment of the situation with Director Shawn Rogers then notifying officials with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Alabama Emergency Management Agency and the Alabama Department of Transportation.

ALDOT Crews immediately went to work spreading sand along Highway 35 from Gaylesville to Watson’s Crossroads. A haz-mat crew from Birmingham was called to the scene to cleanup the approximately 25 gallons of fuel that spilled into the parking lot where the truck came to a stop. The haz-mat team also used a skid-steer to cleanup some of the sand and fuel left on the road. There was a total of approximately 125 gallons of fuel spilled

The spill did cause a single vehicle accident in which the vehicle slid off of the road and overturned. According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency 52 year old Paige Simpson of Gaylesville was injured in the mishap. She was treated by Paramedics with Cherokee EMS.

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office officials also responded to assist with the scene and traffic control.

The incident remains under investigation.