Jackknifed Truck Creates I-84 Traffic Backups

A jackknifed tractor-trailer truck stuck on westbound Interstate 84 early Thursday morning created traffic backups and travel delays for commuters traveling to work.

State police said the trucker was driving westward on I-84, near Exit 10, in the right lane of three lanes at about 2:49 am, when he lost control of the vehicle due to a large patch of ice in the right lane.

The trucker was not able to regain control of the skidding vehicle and it struck the metal-beam guardrailing along the right side of the highway, damaging approximately 50 feet of the guardrailing, state police said. Newtown Hook & Ladder firefighters went to the accident to control automotive fluids leaking from the truck.

The trucker, whom state police did not identify, did not report any injuries.

Following the crash, motorists in the left lane drove past the jackknifed truck. The vehicle was later towed away by a wrecker.

The accident caused extensive backups and residual congestion on the highway, extending back into Southbury, slowing the morning commute for thousands of drivers.