Hazmat cleans up after big rig overturns on Hwy 86

The southbound lanes of Highway 86 at 50th Avenue in Coachella were closed for several hours Tuesday after a big rig and pickup truck were involved in an accident.

The collision happened around 9:15 a.m.

Officials with Cal Fire said the big rig leaked about 50 gallons of fuel onto the road. A hazmat crew handled the cleanup, which was expected to take close to two hours.

Officers with CHP had to divert southbound traffic onto 50th Avenue while waiting to clear the crash from the expressway.

The driver of the pickup truck only sustained minor injuries in the collision and he was taken to the hospital for observation. Judging from the damage to the truck, he was fortunate to come out of the crash as well as he did.

The driver of the big rig wasn’t hurt. The truck was hauling cardboard boxes on pallets.

CHP is investigating the cause of the crash and we’ll deliver more details as soon as we have them.

Photos: Big rig, pickup truck crash on Highway 86