Tanker truck loses control, slides down embankment beneath Rankin Bridge

WHITAKER, Pa. — The driver of a tanker truck somehow lost control and slid down an embankment in Whitaker Tuesday morning.

Chopper 11 was overhead as emergency crews responded, shortly before 10 a.m.

The driver was traveling toward the city on the portion of River Road that splits and runs beneath the Rankin Bridge. The truck, which was hauling tar, landed on its side, resting on train tracks.

PHOTOS: Roads closed after tanker truck crash under Rankin Bridge

The driver was able to make it out of the truck and was alert and speaking with emergency crews. No one else was hurt and no other vehicles appear to have been involved.

“The cause is still under investigation,” said Steve Imbarlina, Assistant Chief with Allegheny County Emergency Services.

He said some tar did spill, but fuel did not.

Railroad officials and cleanup contractors were called to the scene.

For a couple of hours, one lane of the Rankin Bridge was shut down for emergency vehicles. It reopened by about 1 p.m. The portion of River Road running beneath the bridge was still shut down as of Tuesday afternoon.

The incident happened near Bob’s Autotorium, where the owner has previously sounded the alarm about reckless driving in the area.

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RAW: Tanker truck on its side next to Rankin Bridge

Man killed in fall while working on Ferris wheel The city said 62-year-old Robert W. Sanger, a subcontractor from Pittsgrove who worked for Cargo Tech International, fell from a lift and died. (NCD)

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