A semi-tanker rolled Wednesday at the intersection of U.S. Highways 71 and 2 just south of Bemidji, spilling gallons of aviation de-icing liquid and causing a interchange ramp to close.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a 1988 Mack semi was pulling a tanker of aviation de-icing liquid northbound on U.S. Highway 71 at about 11:20 a.m. The truck was turning left onto the westbound U.S. Highway 2 ramp when it rolled. The driver of the semi, Kyle Erickson, 22, of Lengby, Minn., was taken to Sanford Bemidji Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the patrol. He was not wearing a seat belt, the patrol said. Both the semi and the tanker trailer sustained severe damage. Road conditions were listed as wet on the patrol’s report.
Emergency personnel and law enforcement were on the scene in minutes, and the Beltrami County Emergency Management Office and the State Patrol sent out alerts that the spill was de-icing liquid and did not pose a hazard to the public, although they cautioned motorists that the interchange was closed and that it would take several hours to clear the scene.
The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office and the Bemidji Police Department also assisted at the scene, the patrol said.
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