Diesel tanker overturns on 5 Freeway in Atwater Village

All lanes of NB 5 Freeway in Atwater Village closed due to overturned tanker truck

All lanes of the northbound 5 Freeway in Atwater Village were closed on Wednesday morning due to an overturned tanker truck.

ATWATER VILLAGE, Calif. - A tanker truck carrying about 7,500 gallons of diesel fuel overturned Wednesday morning on the northbound 5 Freeway in the Atwater Village area, blocking all northbound lanes for hours and snarling traffic for miles.

The crash was reported near Glendale Boulevard about 7:10 a.m. and created gridlock conditions that affected thousands of motorists throughout the day. All northbound lanes of the Golden State Freeway remained closed until about 5:30 p.m., when three lanes were reopened, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The two right lanes were reopened around 9:30 p.m.

The truck driver crashed while trying to avoid slower-moving traffic, the CHP reported. The trucker, who was wearing a seatbelt, was not injured.

About 10 gallons of fuel spilled onto the road, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. A company was summoned to the scene to offload the rest of the diesel before the tanker truck could be removed from the scene.

The fuel was pumped out of the rig by about 3 p.m. and crews set about getting the truck upright, the fire department reported.

A hazardous-materials team was sent to oversee the operation and assess whether any fuel leaked into storm drains, the LAFD reported.