Trash truck spill ties up busy Seattle road

SEATTLE – A garbage truck tipped over Tuesday on busy Alaskan Way, snarling traffic for hours during the afternoon rush hour.

The truck tipped about 2 p.m. at Lander Street, south of downtown. Because of limited exits from Alaskan Way, the accident meant the southbound lanes of the elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct along the waterfront were closed until the mess was cleaned up and the roadway was reopened about 6:40 p.m.

A hazmat team was called in to clean up some spilled transmission fluid from the garbage truck, Seattle police spokesman Rich Pruitt said.

One person from the garbage truck was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries, Pruitt said. His condition was not immediately available.

Some other vehicles also were involved, but it was not immediately clear whether it was the collisions that caused the truck to turn over, or whether it turned over first for some other, unspecified reason, Pruitt said.