On February 26th, 2021, In this load recovery incident, we received a call from a customer on the WB I-90 exit 47 with a damaged trailer and impacted fuel lines. He explained his snow chain snapping caused the damage. Approximately 10-20 gallons of fuel were leaking on the roadway. On top of that, he was carrying a 38,000 lb load of expensive frozen beef. All-around speedy recovery was in order.
With direction from the customer, we went ahead with spill cleanup, fuel line repair, and towing the trailer. We came with a heavy-duty wrecker, mobile mechanical service truck, and environmental spill response vehicle with special equipment.
Load Recovery
Upon arrival, our team quickly assessed the scene to form a recovery plan. A large amount of fuel had spilled from the trailer onto the ground all around it. First, we did emergency spill containment to stop the spread. Then contacted the WA State Department of Ecology. Next, we focused on repairing the damaged fuel lines and electrical lines to the refrigerant unit containing the valuable frozen beef. Once we fixed the lines and the meat safe, we returned to the fuel cleanup.
Cargo Salvage
Our Pro-Enviro team worked efficiently to ensure no contamination was left behind. First, using the evacuator truck, we contained all the contaminated snow in one area. Next, we swept all the remaining absorbent materials and checked that the area was free of contaminants. Once the load recovery and spill cleanup were complete, we returned to the yard. There we reconditioned all our equipment and put them away. The final steps were to manifest and document the collected wastes and complete all the paperwork.
