Crash closes US 95 in Las Vegas for hours

A cement truck crashed into a tow truck Wednesday afternoon on U.S. Highway 95 at East Charleston Boulevard, spilling cement and diesel fuel on the highway and causing major traffic delays, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

The northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 95 were temporarily closed while crews cleaned up the cement and between 35 and 55 gallons of diesel fuel, trooper Jason Buratczuk said. The crash also caused delays in the southbound lanes as drivers slowed or stopped to gawk at the mess, he said.

The highway had reopened as of 5:40 p.m., according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Both trucks were northbound on U.S. 95 at about 2:15 p.m., with the cement truck in the middle lane and the tow truck in the right lane, Buratczuk said.

The cement truck blew a tire, and its driver lost control. The cement truck hit the tow truck and then the right highway wall. The cement truck’s mixer fell off, hit a barrier wall and struck a light pole.

Crews had cleaned up the spilled diesel fuel as of 4:30 p.m., Buratczuk said. They also worked to clean up the spilled cement, which had dried onto the highway.

Both drivers were hospitalized at University Medical Center with survivable injuries.

Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.