Fuel Tanker Overturns During Snowstorm On Sunrise Highway: Police

EASTPORT, NY — A fuel tanker overturned Sunday afternoon, spilling heating oil onto Sunrise Highway, police said.

According to Suffolk County Police, the tanker truck carrying the home heating oil was heading east on Sunrise Highway just east of Exit 62 at 12:30 p.m. when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it overturned onto its side off the right shoulder.

About eight to 10 gallons of oil spilled from the truck, police said; the remainder was offloaded to another truck and the overturned vehicle was towed from the scene, police said.

The male driver was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead for treatment of minor injuries, police said.

Suffolk County Police highway patrol officers, emergency service section officers and officials from Brookhaven, the New York State DEC spill response team, New York State emergency management, and local fire departments responded, police said.

The exit ramp at Exit 62 was closed but the express portion of the road remained open throughout the incident, police said.

Police could not immediately say if the truck skidded due to weather as the driver was hospitalized and officers were unable to speak with him, officials said.