Overturned tractor-trailer shuts down Route 50 in Annapolis

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A crash involving an overturned tractor-trailer caused a mess along Route 50 in Annapolis Thursday morning. Authorities say the accident happened around 2 a.m. in the westbound lanes of Route 50 just after St. Margarets Road.

The westbound lanes of Route 50 were closed for about five hours near the accident scene, and drivers were forced to get off at Exit 29, which is Cape St. Claire Road while the road was shut down. Just before 7 a.m., those westbound lanes reopened, but delays lingered a little longer for drivers headed towards D.C. from the Eastern Shore.

Several eastbound lanes were also shut down for a time, as there was significant debris and a diesel fuel spill left behind as a result of the accident. The Department of Environment was on the scene working to clean up the fuel spill.

Maryland State Police say the driver, 79-year-old Earl Stanley of Wyoming, Delaware, was the only occupant of the truck. Charges against him are pending. He refused medical treatment at the crash scene.

Investigators say Stanley lost control of the 2003 International Tractor and Trailer while headed westbound on Route 50 near Exit 29. The truck hit the guard rail, causing it to overturn and spill part of its cargo -- frozen beef-- into both the east and westbound lanes.