ELM MOTT, TEXAS — A tractor-trailer driver was safely rescued Monday morning after his rig ended up suspended over a guardrail on southbound Interstate 35 in Elm Mott near FM 308 and FM 933, requiring specialized technical rescue operations and a hazmat response after a diesel saddle tank fell from the truck and ruptured on the roadway below.
Elm Mott Fire Rescue was dispatched around 7:30 a.m. and Waco Fire arrived shortly after 7:40 a.m. First responders found the tractor unit hanging over the guardrail with the driver still inside the cab. The position of the truck made access difficult. Technical rescue personnel secured the truck and gained access through the passenger side. The driver was not pinned but required assistance — he was placed into the basket of Ladder 1 and transferred over the guardrail to waiting AMR personnel. He was evaluated at the scene and refused transport.
During the accident one of the truck’s diesel fuel saddle tanks was dislodged and fell onto the main lane of FM 308 beneath the I-35 overpass, rupturing and releasing an estimated 40 gallons of diesel fuel onto the roadway and surrounding ground. Waco Hazmat initiated containment operations and was able to contain the majority of the fuel runoff. Environmental cleanup resources were notified and requested.
The truck was towed off the highway around 10:15 a.m. Southbound traffic delays continued as the scene was cleared. Ross Fire Department remained on scene to assist with traffic control and cleanup along I-35.
Responding agencies included Elm Mott Fire Rescue, Ross Fire, Waco Fire Department, Texas DPS, McLennan County Sheriff’s Office, Waco-McLennan County Emergency Management, and AMR.
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