Barge Collapse in Tennessee River Leads to Oil Spill

Officials in Chattanooga say a truck and crane went to the bottom of the Tennessee River when the barge they were sitting on collapsed.

News outlets report the crane was mounted on the truck that fell into the river when the barge collapsed Tuesday. Hazmat crews deployed booms to contain oil that had leaked from the truck into the water.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports Crystal Springs Builders owner Tony Carter owns the truck. The barge flipped over at the same dock three years ago, sending the truck and its crane into the river. And one of Carter’s trucks sank to the bottom of Harrison Bay in 2015.

A Chattanooga Fire Department official told the newspaper that Carter didn’t want to comment on Tuesday’s collapse.

Topics Auto Energy Oil Gas Tennessee