Rollovers spill milk, diesel into Clear Lake

LUCERNE >> Hours after a milk truck rolled over into Clear Lake on Sunday, a car collided with another milk truck at nearly the same location, injuring three in total, law enforcement reports say.

In the first incident, according to California Highway Patrol incident logs and Northshore Fire Department reports, a big rig “fully loaded” with milk and traveling westbound overturned at about 9 a.m., east of the Highway 20 intersection with Cora Drive on Clear Lake’s north shore near the Kono Tayee estates.

Part of the semi truck’s 6,000 tank was submerged into the lake, spilling an unknown quantity of milk, Northshore Fire District Battalion Chief Doyle Head said Monday.

But Northshore fire personnel were able to pull the driver out

of the cab, which was not submerged, and pull him 80 feet up a steep embankment to the roadway using a system of ropes and a backboard. The driver suffered “minor to moderate” injuries in the crash, said Head, and was transported to a hospital by Reach helicopter.

In addition to the milk, an unknown amount of diesel fuel also leaked into Clear Lake, Head said. Lake County Environmental Health responded to the incident due to the leakage. An unspecified quantity of boom material was floated out to contain the spill.

Highway 20 was closed for a short period of time while a tow truck maneuvered to clear the roadway of the recovered big rig, Head said. California Highway Patrol, Fish and Wildlife, Northshore Fire’s dive team, Caltrans and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the incident.

Within hours, the same location would be the site of another accident involving a milk truck.

“They were hauling a lot of milk that day,” said Head.

Later on Sunday, after 7 p.m. according to a CHP incident log, a sport utility vehicle headed east with two occupants collided with a big rig hauling milk on Highway 20 near the same intersection with Cora Drive. The SUV rolled and came to rest on its side in the center of the highway, photos of the incident show.

Head said both occupants of the SUV suffered moderate injuries and were taken by air ambulance to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport. The milk truck driver was uninjured in the crash.

Highway 20 was closed to traffic for about 45 minutes during the second incident, Head said.

NORTHSHORE FIRE DEPARTMENT A semi truck carrying less than 6,000 gallons of milk overturned into Clear Lake near Lucerne on Sunday, spilling an unknown quantity of its load into the water.