PAX, W.Va. — An accident on the West Virginia Turnpike early this morning has caused a haz-mat situation and a major detour.
Authorities say a semi overturned between the Mossy and Mahan exits in the northbound lanes of the highway around 3 a.m. The truck spilled battery acid and the cleanup is expected to take a while.
Traffic is being diverted northbound at Beckley up U.S. Route 19 to Sutton. The detour is nearly 70 miles and motorists come back onto I-79 60 miles north of Charleston.
It’s unclear what caused the accident and cleanup is underway. The truck driver was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries suffered in the crash.