Man o’ War Boulevard is reopened after morning truck crash

Two tractor-trailers were severely damaged in a crash that closed heavily traveled Man o’ War Boulevard for hours Tuesday during the Lexington morning commute.

The drivers of both trucks had to be extricated; both were taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening.

The inner loop of Man o’ War was closed between Richmond Road and Beaver Creek Drive while crews cleared debris and significant amounts of spilled diesel fuel from the road, according to police and the city’s traffic management center.

The outer loop of Man o’ War was reopened shortly after  9 a.m., three hours after the crash. The inner loop was reopened just after 2:30 p.m. Outbound lanes of Richmond Road opened just before noon.

In addition to Lexington firefighters, an environmental cleanup crew was there to clean up fuel that apparently spilled from the trucks’ gas tanks. Special materials were used to keep the fuel from flowing into sewers. 

The crash occurred about 6 a.m. at the Richmond Road intersection. Both trucks jackknifed. One truck was split in half. A  truck from Short Mountain Trucking Inc. of Tennessee had the most damage. Company officials declined to comment on the wreck.

The other truck involved had the name of Owens and Minor of Richmond, Va.

Man o’ War was closed in both directions. Traffic on the inner loop was forced to turn onto Richmond Road.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 7:57 AM with the headline "Man o’ War Boulevard is reopened after morning truck crash."