Driver knew truck was leaking red dye that could damage cars for miles, Oregon cops say
A semi-truck driver knowingly splattered multiple freeways, roads and possibly other vehicles red as his truck leaked dye for miles, Oregon officials said.
The driver did initially stop and inspect his truck after another driver flagged him down to let him know about the leakage, according to a Dec. 17 Facebook post from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
However, the 40-year-old driver told deputies that his “company said to continue driving to the final destination,” the sheriff’s office said, and “he traveled several more miles to Troutdale, while the liquid dye was spilling out of the trailer.”
The sheriff’s office said it responded to a call about the leaking semi-truck around 7:30 p.m. to find “the road covered in a red substance.”
The deputies spoke with the truck driver who said the “load is a liquid used to dye mulch,” the sheriff’s office said. The spill began in “Clackamas County and stretched for miles on I-205 and I-84.”
The sheriff’s office said drivers who were on “I-205 northbound, I-84 eastbound or NE Marine Drive between 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.” on Dec. 17 should check their vehicles.
“While the driver reported that the dye is liquid soluble, (washes away when contacted by water), it is possible that vehicles who were adjacent to or following the truck might have been impacted by the liquid,” the sheriff’s office said.
Those with cars damaged by the dye should contact their insurance company, the sheriff’s office said.
The driver received multiple citations, including “operating with sifting or leaking load” and “criminal mischief in the third degree,” the sheriff’s office said.
Troutdale is about 15 miles east of Portland.
This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Driver knew truck was leaking red dye that could damage cars for miles, Oregon cops say."
