CALHOUN, Tenn. — The crash of a tractor-trailer hauling a load of heavy-duty, 12-volt batteries kept McMinn County Hazardous Materials teams busy Thursday neutralizing a large acid spill.

Truck driver Randall Clover, 55, ran off the right side of the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 just north of here about 7:30 a.m. The rig careened into a stand of trees and fell onto its side about 40 feet from the highway.

McMinn Hazardous Materials Chief Shane Jenkins said hundreds of Exide brand batteries were stacked on wooden skids in the trailer. The crash tossed the load around, damaging nearly all the batteries, and the cracked casings leaked sulfuric acid.

“It’s more widespread than we first realized,” said Mr. Jenkins, whose men spent more than eight hours cleaning the spill.

As the day wore on, vegetation near the acid spill began to wilt and turn brown.

He said the hazardous materials team went into the contaminated area three times, using protective suits and respirators, treating the area with sodium bicarbonate so a tow truck crew could pull out the wrecked cab and trailer.

A decontamination area was set up for team members to wash off the corrosive acid.

“There will probably be some gear that will have to be replaced,” Mr. Jenkins said.

First responders from the Calhoun Fire Department got Mr. Clover out of the wreckage, and they also got acid on some of their gear.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Chuck Melhorn said it appeared the driver simply ran off the road. He said Mr. Clover had to be extricated from the mangled cab and was treated and released from a nearby hospital. He had a Tennessee driver’s license, but a report filed late Thursday did not list a hometown.

Tarpaulins were used to cover the damaged batteries and keep down the caustic fumes.

One lane of I-75 North was closed, causing traffic slowdowns, until the scene was cleared about 3:30 p.m., Mr. Jenkins said.

McMinn County Emergency Management Agency Director Betty Hamby said her office coordinated with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

“We kept them informed,” she said of her team’s tactics, and TEMA opted not to respond to the scene.

Mr. Jenkins said Hepaco Inc. of Chattanooga was called in for site cleanup and probably will have to remove soil where sulfuric acid soaked into the ground.

He said no water was used, so there was no runoff contamination from the acid or products used to neutralize the spill.

Comments