Tanker Truck Overturns on I-405, Leaks Fuel

A 47-year-old Kirkland woman was injured and Interstate 405 northbound in Bellevue was closed for almost five hours Sunday night after she apparently lost control of her car and hit a tanker truck, causing the truck’s trailer to roll and the entire rig to slide across the freeway, according to the Bellevue Fire Department and the Washington State Patrol.

The accident also caused the tanker to spill some 3,400 gallons of gasoline, and state Department of Ecology sources said Monday that while some of it went into the storm drain system, it does not appear to have reached Lake Washington.

The Department of Ecology will be working in the 2900 block of 115th Avenue Northeast (north of State Route 520) for much of the day, according to Bellevue Fire Department spokesman Lt. Troy Donlin.

Nipaporn Lertdamrongluck was taken to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue after the crash, in which her Toyota Camry left the right lane of I-405 northbound just north of State Route 520, hit a barrier on the right side of the freeway and then spun back into the freeway, striking the tanker truck, according to the .

The Kenworth truck’s trailer then rolled over, causing the whole rig to slide across all lanes and come to rest on the left side of the freeway. The truck driver, 39-year-old Sergio Salvador Olson Jr., of Sultan, was not injured. Both drivers were wearing seatbelts.

Lertdamrongluck was in stable condition at Overlake on Monday morning, a hospital spokeswoman said.

An engine from Kirkland Fire Station 25 on Finn Hill assisted the in responding to the accident.

"Two of our guys from Station 25 are haz/mat qualified, and they assisted Bellevue," Kirkland Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Haschak said Monday morning.

According to the Kirkland Firefighters Facebook page, the KFD hazardous materials crew monitored the the spill of highly flammable gasoline with special equipment and applied absorbant material to prevent as much as possible from reaching storm drains.

The Washington State Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred at about 9:45 p.m. and caused northbound 405 at SR 520 to be closed for four hours and 45 minutes.