‘Unknown amount’ of fuel leaks into creek after fatal truck crash near Moose Pass

A semitruck that went off the road Wednesday afternoon near Moose Pass, killing the driver, was still leaking fuel into a nearby creek on Friday, state environmental officials said.

The 2007 Kenworth semitruck, driven by 46-year-old Marc Roderick of Anchor Point, was headed northbound on the Seward Highway when it went off the road near Milepost 33 and crashed into a rock wall, Alaska State Troopers said.

An excavator the truck was hauling pitched forward during the collision, crushing the cab of the truck and killing Roderick.

On Friday, the truck was still sitting in Moose Creek, spilling an “unknown quantity of diesel,” from its two 150-gallon saddle tanks, along with an unknown amount of engine oil, officials with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement.

DEC officials said up to 160 gallons of diesel and 140 gallons of hydraulic oil were still in the excavator, which was sitting upright and not leaking fuel into the water.

A salvage company was working Friday remove the excavator and the semitruck from the creek, and DEC responders deployed containment boom to prevent the fuel and oil from being washed downstream.

Officials did not respond to questions Saturday about whether the truck and excavator had been removed from the creek yet.

The spill may affect fish and fish eggs in Moose Creek and Upper Trail lake, officials said. A hatchery is near the crash site, but it does not take water in from the creek.