A fuel tanker truck wreck closed a busy Delaware highway for hours Wednesday morning.
The southbound crash around 8:20 a.m. closed both directions of State Route 1, state police said. Troopers blocked the northbound lanes at Exit 119 in Smyrna and the southbound lanes at Route 299 in Middletown as emergency responders from Delaware and Maryland worked at the scene.
The crash caused fuel to leak from the tanker, the Townsend Fire Company said. The remaining fuel was pumped into another tanker.
DelDOT called the overturned tanker truck crash a hazmat situation as crews worked to contain the leak. Debris littered the roadway along with the crushed-in cab as the damaged tanker was sideways along the grassy shoulder.
Police warned drivers to "expect lengthy delays in the area" possibly lasting up to 12 hours. DelDOT said U.S. Route 13 could be used as an alternate route.
Passersby got the truck driver out, firefighters said. He was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.
State police investigated the cause of the rollover wreck.
