Truck turn, hazardous spill

A truck has toppled in Bayles. Picture: SUPPLIED

By Mitchell Clarke

A milk truck has toppled into a ditch in Bayles, causing “hazardous liquid” to spill out across Ballarto Road.

CFA crews were called to the accident, near the corner of Woodman Avenue, at 11.40am on Tuesday 6 October, following reports the milk tanker had ended up in a ditch.

Crews attended with two Hazmat trucks from Warragul and Wonthaggi, a pumper tanker from Kooweerup and a tanker from Bayles, along with other support vehicles.

Paramedics assessed one person at the scene but they didn’t require hospitalisation.

An advice message was sent out to the Bayles community at 1pm advising of a hazardous liquid spill.

“Hazardous liquids are being released and is leaking into the ditch,” the message read.

A fuel spill was eventually contained, according to a CFA spokesperson.

Ballarto Road remained closed in both directions for most of the day, as emergency services worked to clean up the mess.

Milk and fuel was decanted from the truck before it was lifted up from ditch by heavy haulage around 3.30pm.

A neighbouring resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the scene was a “pretty full on emergency situation for Bayles”.

She explained it was the sixth incident of its kind to occur on Ballarto Road, since it was resurfaced earlier this year.

“The driver said he was checking his side mirrors when he hit the lip of the bitumen and wasn’t able to correct it,” she said.

“It just happened so quickly. The road is not very wide with no real dirt area off the bitumen for emergency situations.”

She said similar incidents “just keep happening”.

“(It’s) the same as the other drivers experienced who have gone in. Something really needs to be done. The road has to be fixed before someone gets hurt.”

VicRoads has been contacted for comment.