Driver of overturned truck on BQE arrested for drunk driving

December 5, 2018 By Todd Maisel Special to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Tow drivers and rescuers tried to right the overturned flatbed truck as lumber was removed from the roadway of the BQE. Eagle photos by Todd Maisel

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A truck driver was arrested by highway police after overturning his flatbed truck, toppling a large volume of scaffolding planks into the roadway at Tillary Street on the Queens-bound Brooklyn Queens Expressway, police said.

The crash occurred shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday during the start of the evening rush hour, forcing the closure of the eastbound lanes. Traffic was rerouted onto Park and Flushing avenues, causing near gridlock conditions.

No one was injured, including the driver, according to police. When officers administered a breathalyzer to the driver, they found the man was well over the legal limit for alcohol.

The man driving the truck was arrested after officers administered a breathalyzer.

Firefighters doused the roadway with water to clean up oil spilled during the crash, then began picking up the scores of large planks scattered onto the roadway. Traffic was backed up for miles.

Police said they would continue to investigate the cause of the crash.