The driver of the transport truck that spilled a chemical liquid on highway 400 on Thursday is now facing charges.
The truck collided with a car near canal road around 1pm yesterday afternoon. Initially police didn’t know what kind of material spilled, or how dangerous it was. They brought in a hazmat team and specialized cleanup crews from the Hamilton area to deal with the leak.
Police also took no chances, telling some people to leave their cars.
"This was highly flammable, highly dangerous. There was an uncontrolled spill out of these means of containment. They were large totes of a flammable cleaning solvent that could have been very deadly had there been a spark, “ says OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt.
The driver has been charged with improperly securing a load. The highway closure trapped thousands of people who were in their vehicles near the spill. Police defend their decision to close the highway in the name of safety. It was reopened after midnight.
