Truck driver air lifted to hospital after milk truck drives off embankment near Lemoore

LEMOORE, Calif. (KFSN) -- A truck driver is in the hospital after his tanker containing several gallons of milk went off an embankment near Lemoore. It happened Thursday night just after 11:30 on 19 1/2 Avenue near Hanford Armona Road.

CHP officers said for some unknown reason, the driver veered off the road, went down an embankment, and the truck tipped on its side. Crews used the jaws of life to get the driver out of the truck cab.

Officer Johnny Fisher with the CHP in Hanford said, "It seemed like the more they tied to get the dash and the steering wheel off his lap, the more it was kind of compressing down, so it was getting a little more complicated and we were able to successfully get him out, not us, but the fire department."

A helicopter landed on Highway 41 blocking off the roadway for a few minutes. The driver was flown to Kaweah Delta Medical Center.

The milk that spilled is not affecting any waterways or causing hazards.

CHP officers plan to speak with the driver at the hospital to learn more about the crash.