Jackknifed truck closes I-12 lane near Walker

Authorities likely will be working through the night to clear an 18-wheeler that overturned on Interstate 12 eastbound Sunday afternoon, leaving part of its load of mangos strewn across the highway, a Walker Police Department spokesman said.

The 18-wheeler was headed east on I-12 about a mile west of Satsuma around 3:15 p.m. when a car in front of it slowed down because of another accident, Capt. John Sharp said.

The driver of the 18-wheeler was not paying attention and tried to stop abruptly when he noticed the lull in traffic, Sharp said.

The 18-wheeler jackknifed and overturned, spilling part of its cargo of mangos as well as some of its diesel fuel, Sharp said.

The right lane is closed, but the left lane is open, Sharp said.

The truck driver, Yuden Morejon, 39, of Florida, was cited with following too close, Sharp said.

Authorities expect to have the trailer and its contents cleared by midnight, he said.

The mangos are being loaded onto another tractor trailer, and officials from the state Department of Environmental Quality are cleaning the site and containing the diesel fuel, Sharp said.

Authorities are not sure at this time how much diesel fuel spilled.

Both lanes will have to be closed when the trailer is uprighted, Sharp said, but that process will likely only take 15 to 20 minutes and will occur around midnight.

No one was injured in the crash, Sharp said.