A large, loaded 12-wheel construction dump truck, which was traveling on Botsford Hill Road early on the afternoon of Saturday, June 20, flipped over onto its right side and leaked diesel fuel.

The incident triggered an environmental cleanup project that caused a section of that street to close to through-traffic for more than six hours, resulting in detours, officials said.

Police said that at about 12:46 pm, trucker Richard Keiser, 54, of Mt Pleasant Road was driving a 2000 Kenworth construction dump truck eastward on Botsford Hill Road, after which he drove beneath the Housatonic Railroad overpass and then turned to the left on a sharp curve, but a tire blew out, causing the truck to flip over onto its side.

The truck was carrying a load of recycled asphalt at the time of the crash. The cargo was covered by a tarp, but when the truck flipped over, the asphalt spilled out onto the right road shoulder.

Police report that Keiser received a minor cut in the accident and refused medical attention.

Eight Botsford firefighters responded to the accident.

Botsford Fire Chief Wayne Ciaccia, who was incident commander, said that firefighters worked to contain the diesel fuel that was spilling from the truck. He estimated that about 25 gallons of diesel fuel spilled. Other automotive fluids also spilled, he said.

Firefighters were able to isolate the spill, presenting its from entering stormwater catch basins in the area, Chief Ciaccia said. They used much absorbent material to control the spill, he said.

The section of Botsford Hill Road between its intersections with High Bridge Road and Swamp Road was closed to traffic during the incident. That road section reopened at about 7 pm.

Chief Ciaccia said that the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) sent a spill inspector to the accident scene. DEEP then called in a private environmental cleanup company to clean the spill.

Also, two heavy duty wreckers were sent to the accident to get the flipped dump truck back on its wheels and then haul it away, Chief Ciaccia said.

Chief Ciaccia said that although the flipped truck caused a bad situation on Botsford Hill Road, matters could have been much worse if the heavy truck had collided with another vehicle.

After investigating the incident, police issued Keiser an infraction for driving with unsafe tires.

The truck is owned by Justin Gaydosh of JMG Construction LLC of 90 Huntingtown Road, police said. Police issued Gaydosh a misdemeanor summons for allowing the operation of an unregistered motor vehicle and also for failure to have automotive insurance.