WEST END -- A pair of early morning accidents resulting in an extensive paint spill are keeping all lanes of southbound Interstate 75 closed through the West End on Wednesday.
The first accident happened around 4:30 a.m. just north of the Ezzard Charles overpass. Police officials say two cars collided, causing one of them to flip over in the middle of the interstate.
According to authorities, a pair of tractor trailers then ran right into the wrecked cars.
One of the trucks broke open, dumping such a large amount of paint on the road that the fumes were noticeable from the Ezzard Charles overpass.
Paint and crash debris were strewn across all of the southbound lanes of the interstate, even spilling into some northbound lanes. As a result, officials completely closed all southbound lanes of I-75 south of the Western Avenue exit, where all traffic is being forced to exit.
Amazingly, police say only one woman was injured in the crash, and her injuries are not considered to be life-threatening.
A Haz-Mat unit was called and crews are still on the scene spreading sand to soak up the liquid.
Officials originally estimated the accident would be cleared up within two hours, but the extent of the mess later prompted crews to admit it will take even longer to clean up the double-accident.
At 8:30 a.m., road crews estimated the cleanup would take about eight hours, meaning the interstate may remained closed until well into rush hour.
The cause of the initial crash has not been released, but the overnight rainfall may have contributed to making the roadways slick and slippery.
There is an additional danger as drivers in the northbound lanes slow down to look at the mess. In fact, as 9News Reporter Bill Price was reporting on the crash around 6:30 a.m., he witnessed another accident in the area. This third crash seemed to be just a fender bender.
Drivers are warned to use caution on the roads today as Meteorologist Larry Handley says to expect off-and-on showers to accompany cooler weather throughout the day.
Click here for the complete forecast.For up-to-the-minute traffic updates, follow us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/wcpotraffic
