Crashed truck spews thousands of gallons of liquid asphalt in Death Valley, photo shows
Thousands of gallons of liquid asphalt and diesel fuel spilled along a road and into the desert landscape in a California national park after a tractor trailer crashed, officials said.
The truck’s brakes failed as it made its way down the road in Death Valley National Park, officials said in a July 19 news release.
Commercial trucks are prohibited from driving there because of the road’s steep grades, officials said.
The driver downshifted but couldn’t stop the truck, and it crashed on the shoulder, spewing 5,000 gallons of emulsified asphalt and 150 gallons of diesel fuel, officials said.
The driver was not injured, and park visitors picked him up and drove him to cell service so he could report the accident, officials said.
The trucking company is working with the National Park Service to clean up the wreck and the crash site, and charges are pending. Park officials did not say how long it will take to clean up the asphalt or disclose any potential damages.
Death Valley encompasses more than 3 million acres of desert land near the California-Nevada border, according to the National Park Service. It’s the largest national park in the continental U.S., and 93% of the park is considered wilderness.
The park sits below sea-level, and it’s consistently smashing heat records.
“Death Valley is famous as the hottest place on earth and driest place in North America,” park rangers said. “The world record highest air temperature of 134°F (57°C) was recorded at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913.”
Tourists have recently been flocking to the national park after temperatures spiked to 128 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, July 16, CBS News reported.
This story was originally published July 19, 2023 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Crashed truck spews thousands of gallons of liquid asphalt in Death Valley, photo shows."
