Truck Crash Snarls Traffic for 100,000 Commuters

COSTA MESA — A sewage-laden tanker tipped over onto a pickup truck Monday morning, triggering a traffic jam that tied up as many as 100,000 commuters.

The eight-ton truck was northbound on the San Diego Freeway north of Harbor Boulevard about 7:30 a.m. when the driver failed to make a lane change and overturned, striking the pickup, authorities said.

Both drivers were taken to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center with minor injuries. No one was cited.

The incident snarled traffic in both directions. The ripple effect backed up vehicles on the 73 Toll Road to the south and the interchange of the San Gabriel River Freeway and San Diego Freeway to the north, officials said.

Motorists and businesses closest to the overturned truck had to deal with an overpowering odor that filled the air as workers sucked out much of the 1,600 gallons of sewage--a process that was needed before the truck could be turned off its side.

The entire cleanup lasted more than four hours, in part because workers apparently forgot to close an equipment valve, which led to the truck spilling the rest of its load onto the freeway as the rig was set upright.