Driver Charged in Chemical Spill that Closed I-85

A tanker carrying acrylic acid overturned as it exited Interstate 85 early Tuesday morning, spilling thousands of gallons of the pungent chemical and forcing crews to close the northbound lanes for much of the day.

According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, tanker driver David Corley was going too fast when he got off at the Business 85 exit around 6:30 a.m. Troopers said Corley had missed the exit he wanted and was getting off in order to turn around.

The tanker, owned by Knoxville, Tenn.,-based Highway Transport Chemical Limited, overturned on its left side, spilling much of the 5,000 gallons of acrylic acid it was carrying.

"He took the exit ramp a little bit too fast and ran off the road over on the left and overturned," explained a Lt. Monroe with the state highway patrol. "The truck was full, so it was heavy and it crumpled up the tank pretty well."

Corley, who was hospitalized with minor injuries from the crash, was charged with exceeding a safe speed. Emergency crews had to extricate the 55-year-old from the cab.

The northbound lanes were closed as Guilford County Hazmat crews transferred unspilled acid to a new tanker and used sand to prevent the spill from leaking onto the road.

Traffic soon backed up on the highway and remained that way for more than nine hours. Early afternoon, crews opened a single lane to allow vehicles to pass slowly.

All lanes had reopened by 9:15 p.m.

A spokesman for the highway patrol said crews were hustling to complete the cleanup before it got dark and the temperature dropped, because acrylic acid solidifies at 55 degrees.