09/07/11 Drivers on US 31 in LaPaz found the road closed Tuesday morning due to a single vehicle accident involving a semi tractor trailer and the State Highway bridge over the train tracks.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department received a call of an accident on U.S. 31 at 2:41 a.m. Tuesday morning when a semi driver drove his rig up onto the guard rail over the railroad where it rested precariously until it was removed just before 8 a.m.
All lanes of traffic were closed and traffic was diverted for several hours as emergency workers and Reichert’s Towing from Bourbon attempted to secure the vehicle.
The semi was hauling food products that were removed and transferred into another semi prior to having the truck towed off the guard rail. The incident caused some diesel fuel to leak from the tank causing a hazardous material spill cleanup.
Officials from INDOT conducted a visual inspection of the bridge prior to opening it to traffic and inspectors from Indianapolis arrived on the scene Tuesday about noon for a more detailed inspection.
The driver, Michael A. Hagedorn from Shorewood, IL was not injured in the crash.
Photo provided by our news partners at WSBT.
