A wreck that sent a gasoline tanker toppling off Interstate 40 Monday and shut the westbound lanes for more than nine hours was caused by a pickup that ran off the road and then swerved back across traffic, Arkansas State Police said.
The tanker truck, driven by 55-year-old Jacksonville resident Luis Luna, veered to the right to avoid a collision with the pickup, authorities said. It lost control and overturned off the right side of the interstate.
The pickup driver, identified as 47-year-old Greenbrier resident James Hopkins, was cited for careless driving. The wreck occurred about 2:30 p.m. near the 148 mile marker in North Little Rock.
All three westbound lanes remained closed until 11:42 p.m. when 7,500 gallons of fuel were offloaded from the toppled tanker, which remained intact and did not leak.
One lane remained restricted through 5:40 a.m. Tuesday when the tanker was finally removed.
A police report on the accident is not yet complete.