Authorities in St. Paul responded to a single vehicle rollover on Highway 881 at around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. The driver lost control of the vehicle, a tanker truck carrying potable water, and rolled, causing a temporary closure of the highway. The tank detached from the truck and ended up in a ditch.
The St. Paul Fire Department responded to the accident and helped Emergency Medical Services in freeing the driver from the wrecked truck. “The driver was heavily injured," reports Fire Chief Trevor Kotowich. “We stayed on scene until after 7 p.m. cleaning up debris from the accident."
At around 5 p.m. authorities were able to open up the highway to single lane traffic, northbound and southbound, Kotowich explains. The fire department played a role in the rescue of the rolled vehicle's driver, and the management of traffic at the scene of the accident.
Highway 881 was completely shut down for approximately three hours before opening to single lane traffic. Authorities needed to clear the road of debris in order to create safe passage for motorists, and cleanup continued into the evening while the highway was opened to northbound and southbound traffic.
