UPDATE: 6:09 p.m.



INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV. - Another overturned big rig is stymying traffic on the Mt. Rose Highway near the Tannenbaum Event Center (formerly the Christmas Tree Restaurant).

Mark Regan of the Sierra Fire Protection District said the driver, the lone occupant of the vehicle, extricated himself and was uninjured. His load of dirt and construction debris is being cleared by various emergency crews.

According to Regan, the highway will be shut to through traffic from 5:30 p.m. to about 8 p.m. while tow trucks help clear the semi.

Five gallons of diesel fuel was spilled, and crews contained it quickly to the highway.

“There was no environmental damage,” said Regan.

The driver was leaving from a construction site in Kings Beach on his way to Reno, said Regan.

Contrary to some published reports by regional media, there is no danger of a chemical leak, said Matthew Kaplan of the Nevada Highway Patrol.

The vehicle tipped shortly after 4 p.m. in a similar fashion to the incident a week ago near the same location, Kaplan said.

“It's just one of those cases where a driver of a semi loaded with debris took the corner too fast,” said Sgt. Mel Pecson of the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Look for more information to this story as it develops.

Twice in two weeks

Last Monday, the highway was shut down for hours after an Incline Village-based big rig overturned, spilling debris on the road. Beside various debris, the rig's fuel tank leaked about 40 gallons of diesel onto the roadway. Nevada Department of Transportation and Sierra Fire quickly responded to the scene, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol, and prevented the fuel from spilling off the roadway.

The driver, Carson City resident Russell Stokes, was issued a citation for speed too fast for conditions.