Westport Firefighters Confront Tractor-Trailer Wreck on Saugatuck River Bridge

The Westport Fire Department responded to a call of a jack-knifed tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 Tuesday evening and found it in the southbound lanes of the Saugatuck River Bridge

The department was called to the accident at 6:09 p.m., according to a news release prepared by Asst. Chief Robert Kepchar.

Kepchar said the driver of the truck claimed he was cut off by a vehicle and swerved to avoid hitting another vehicle, causing him to lose control and hit the bridge wall.

Kepchar said the driver escaped serious injury, but was taken to Norwalk Hospital.

The truck's tractor was heavily damaged, resulting in oil and diesel fuel leaking, Kepchar said, with several gallons entering storm drains and emptying into the Saugatuck River and the parking lot below the bridge.

He said firefighters used a granular material similar to cat litter and absorbent booms and pads to prevent further runoff of fluids.

Two agents from the state Dept. of Environmental Protection responded to the scene to facilitate the cleanup, Kepchar said, and the company Connecticut Tank Removal was hired to perform the cleanup.

State Dept. of Transportation trucks were called to the scene to put sand on the roadway to prevent the surface from becoming more slippery from the spill.

The damaged truck was towed from the scene, and the last Westport Fire unit cleared the scene at 8:43 p.m., Kepchar said.