The driver of a tractor trailer who reportedly caused a fuel spill that closed the outer loop of the Capital Beltway, causing big delays during the morning commute, had fallen asleep at the wheel, police said.
The busy interstate was closed for over four hours Monday morning.
The driver of the trailer, Terry Lee Kendrick, reportedly fell asleep at the wheel before striking the two cars, Maryland State Police said Monday afternoon.
According to authorities, a Maryland State Police cruiser and a car that was pulled over were hit by a tractor trailer around 2 a.m. on I-495 at Route 29 in Montgomery County. The trailer then spilled a large amount of fuel on the roadway.
Police say no one was seriously injured. The officer and the driver the officer pulled over were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
All lanes of the Outer Loop between Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue reopened around 7 a.m.
A detour on Colesville Road in Silver Spring was also closed briefly after four cars rear ended each other.
