Between 400 and 700 litres of heating oil spill as delivery truck overturns on Winsloe Road

An oil delivery truck that overturned into a ditch just outside of Charlottetown early Monday morning spilled between 400 and 700 litres of heating fuel, provincial environment officials say.  

The Winsloe Road was closed to all traffic between Route 250, the Kentyre Road, and Route 220, the Horne Cross Road, in the wake of the single-vehicle accident, the RCMP posted at 6:30 a.m., but has since reopened.

RCMP said the driver was initially trapped in the truck. 

"Thankfully, this individual was able to get out with some assistance and did only suffer some minor injuries," said Cpl. Gavin Moore, the P.E.I. RCMP's media relations officer. "This truck did go completely upside down, that's where it rested after going off the road. This is a straight piece of road and it appears that icy road conditions were a major contributing factor to this crash."  

The provincial Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action said it was told about the incident at 7:18 a.m. and had an environmental officer at the site by 7:45 a.m.

"The volume of heating fuel lost into the ditch as a result of the accident is estimated to be 400-700L," the department said in an email to CBC News Monday afternoon. "The spill was contained and there is no impact to waterways.

"A vac truck was brought to the site to remove the heating fuel… from the ditch."

A salt truck was deployed to assist emergency vehicles safely access the area. The road reopened around noon.— Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson

The provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure was also involved in the emergency response, officials said in an email. 

"A salt truck was deployed to assist emergency vehicles safely access the area. The road reopened around noon with Transportation crews directing two-way single lane stop and go traffic," the email said.

"Our staff often assist RCMP and emergency responders at motor vehicle accidents if traffic control is necessary or the road needs maintenance such as plowing, laying sand or salt."

The North River Fire Department and Island EMS were also at the scene.

Jeff Doucette, owner of Feasible Fuels, confirmed to CBC News that one of his company's trucks was the vehicle involved. Doucette said the driver is doing fine.

By mid-morning the oil truck had been pulled out of the ditch and towed from the scene, while some traffic was beginning to flow through the area again. 

Steep portion of road

The single-vehicle crash happened at the bottom of a steep hill in an area where some residents told CBC News there are often accidents after a snowfall. 

Moore said there were a number of minor crashes and collisions across the Island starting Sunday evening, when driving conditions became icy after a snowfall earlier in the day. 

He said incidents like these are a good reminder to install winter tires on your vehicle, plan ahead if you have to go out, and drive according to the weather conditions at the time.