YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – There are still tire marks along Interstate 680 indicating the spot where a tractor-trailer crashed and spilled its load of milk products Thursday.
“It appears speed was the cause. He failed to control the vehicle,” said Det. Sgt. Steve Schiffhauer.
The driver of the rig, 25-year-old Tahan Broome, of Farrell, was cited for failure to control.
Broome’s semi hit a concrete median and its load of Dean Dairy products fell onto the southbound and northbound lanes, shutting down the freeway for close to seven hours.
Authorities are worried the spill could have caused an environmental hazard for fish in nearby creeks and streams.
“There was concern of milk getting into the water supply, which can cause some type of bacteria to grow,” Schiffhauer said.
Workers with a Virginia-based cleanup company were called in and will be in the area for another couple of days to make sure any runoff is contained.
Police say they’ve been concerned about the number of speed-related crashes that have happened along Interstate 680 since the department was forced to stop using radar traffic cameras in 2019.
“It’s a lot of curves. A lot of onramps and exit ramps. That’s why the speed limit is 50 miles per hour there,” Schiffhauer said.
Broome is expected to be in court next week. His employer is expe ted to the bill for the cleanup.
