Hunt for driver after oil tanker overturns on motorway
The southbound carriageway of the M7 bypass at Monasterevin opened in November was closed for more than eight hours as emergency services emptied the tank and carefully removed the vehicle from the side of roadway where it came to rest.
Gardaí were last night still investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, which happened shortly before 8.45am.
The tanker was travelling south when it left the road, slipped down on an embankment and overturned.
Witnesses who stopped to help told gardaí that the driver climbed out of the cab and appeared unhurt apart from a few scratches.
The man, described as being aged approximately 30, 5ft 10in, of slim build and wearing dark clothing, spoke with a number of people at the scene. He then fled the scene before the emergency services arrived.
One senior local garda said members were following a number of lines of inquiry and were confident that the man will be found quickly.
The fire brigade have special procedures in place to deal with any accident involving a vehicle carrying fuel or other hazardous materials. There was some spillage from the vehicle but witnesses said emergency crews were on the scene very quickly and it was contained.
However, the remaining oil in the tank still had to be pumped to another tanker and the vehicle lifted carefully and taken away from the scene. This operation finished around 5pm.
Jimmy Quinn, of the Irish Road Hauliers' Association, said the circumstances of the accident were not altogether clear. "It seems very unusual," he said.
The kindest explanation for the driver's decision to run was that he was suffering from some head injury or concussion and that he panicked, said Mr Quinn.
A cross wind could in no way have caused the lorry to topple over.
It's possible a front tyre on the tanker blew or that the driver lost concentration.
Tanker drivers are normally the most skilled of those working with heavy goods vehicles, he said.
