Accident with haz-mat closes Cottman Avenue



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Alex Lloyd Gross- Fire crews try to contain the diesel spill.

By Alex Lloyd Gross

A serious accident caused Cottman Avenue to be closed to traffic yesterday afternoon, February 10, 2016 . The wreck involved a tractor trailer and a passenger car.   Emergency  crews were dispatched to a standard crash on Cottman Avenue, near Tulip Street. When they got there, they found out it was anything but routine. A tractor trailer was attempting a wide right turn on Tulip Street, when a car traveling in the right lane could not stop in time, and slammed into the truck.

The driver of the car sustained injuries. There were unconfirmed reports that there were two other passengers in the car who were also hurt.  The driver of the truck , Greg Coleberry    was not injured.  When fire crews arrived at the scene, they found that the car slammed into the saddle tank of the tractor, which caused  multiple gallons of diesel fuel to spill onto Cottman Ave.

Storm drains were protected and area streets were closed.  There were no evacuations required. The road remained closed for several hours while the spill was contained and the wreckage removed.  Truck enforcement officers were special called to insure the truck was in compliance. The cause has not been determined, and  the crash is still under investigation.