MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2022
In the latest incident in what seems to be a slew of paint spills across the Unites States, a truck owned by home improvement retail company Lowe’s accidentally dropped a container of white paint on Kelly Avenue in Edmond, Oklahoma.
While it hasn’t been determined what caused the spill, around 9 a.m. on Wednesday (April 20), the container fell from the truck, causing a large amount of white paint to splash on nearby cars.
According to Masters Car Wash Manager, Jordan Bush, the nearby business witnessed an uptick in drivers looking to get their car cleaned shortly after the incident.
Spilled paint on Edmond road leaves drivers fuming; Lowe's rep says company will cover car repairs https://t.co/IZZEQGn9Ln
— Edmondite (@EdmonditeOK) April 21, 2022
“We have noticed an uptick in cars coming in with paint on,” said Bush. “In some spots it was covering the whole door. In other areas just kind of splotted around. There were a few that came in that were pretty bad over the rims, the tires, over the body of the car.”
In total, Bush said it took between three and four hours to remove all of the paint from the vehicles, advising that anyone affected should treat the surface sooner than later.
“Definitely don’t let it sit on your car,” he said. “It can bake into the clear coat. If it bakes into the clear coat, especially with the heat that we’re going to have in the next couple of days, it’s not a good thing for it.”
As a result of the incident, Lowe’s called a cleaning contractor to handle the situation on the road. In addition, the retailer asked that anyone affected by the spill should call the store so that Lowe’s could place an insurance claim to take care of detail and repair costs.
Other Paint-Related Incidents
At the beginning of the month, a tractor-trailer carrying paint wrecked on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Cranberry, causing a white coating to spill along the side of the road. As a result of the incident, one person was taken to a nearby hospital.
No updates have been made regarding the extent of the victim's injuries.
The month prior, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reported that it was looking for the person responsible for spilling large amounts of white paint on two state roads in Paducah.
During the search, the KYTC released surveillance video from West Kentucky Community and Technical College showing a gray pickup truck with a topper leave eastbound Interstate 24 and head west on U.S. 62. After making a U-turn at the Memorial Drive intersection near Milner and Orr Funeral Home, the truck then headed east on U.S. 62.
The transportation cabinet believes that the container of white paint the truck was carrying must have overturned while driving along the U-turn. Video surveillance shows the truck driver stopping in a passing lane for roughly two minutes. When the driver opened the tailgate, even more paint was shown to spill from the vehicle.
Since the incident, the KYTC has asked the public to report any sightings of the vehicle, as the incident has since been reported to have splattered several cars, costing some owners more than $300 in repairs.
And, in February, a 4,000-gallon tanker was reported to lose between 50 and 350 gallons of paint along East Fair Street in Kankakee, Illinois, while leaving a Valspar paint manufacturing plant. The spill caused the closure of nearby Route 50 in both directions from Grinnell Road to North Harrison Avenue. North Hobbie Avenue was also closed from East Willow Street to Route 50.
At the time, the spill was reported to be the result of an unsecured hatch on the transportation vehicle.
As a result of the incident, Kankakee firefighters were called to the scene. Members of the MABAS 7 Hazmat team and representatives of the Kankakee River Metropolitan Agency, which runs the wastewater treatment plant, were also present.
Cleanups took place over the course of the weekend following the spill, with roadways reportedly opening in stages.
After cleanup efforts were completed, Kankakee Fire Chief Bryan LaRoche informed the Kankakee City Council that an estimated 450 gallons of waste product associated with the manufacture of paint had been spilled by truck hauling company, Action Enterprise.
Since then, The Sherwin-Williams Company-owned Valspar plant has received 34 claims. According to Daily Journal, of the 34 claims filed thus far, 33 are in relation to personal filings for damaged vehicles driving through the spill and one property damage suit as well.
While the spill was initially assumed to be the result of an unsecured hatch, officials are now reporting that the circumstances of the spill have not yet been determined.
LaRoche also informed reporters that Sherwin-Williams has been going “above and beyond” in working to rectify the issue.
Tagged categories: Accidents; Coating Materials; Coatings; Good Technical Practice; Health and safety; Paint; Program/Project Management; Safety
