Holidaymakers on the Tomei Expressway got a scare Tuesday when a truck carrying 11 tons of liquefied petroleum gas rolled over at an interchange in Machida, western Tokyo, killing the driver.
The accident occurred at 5:20 a.m. when driver Ayumi Ohashi failed to negotiate a curve ahead of a toll station and the truck rolled over, crushing the driver's cab against the guardrail, police said.
Ohashi may have failed to reduce speed ahead of the toll station curve, they said.
Unconscious and with his right arm severed, Ohashi was trapped in the wreckage for two hours before being pulled free. He was later pronounced dead due to excessive blood loss, police said.
No LP gas leaked, they said.
Ohashi was shipping the gas from a Yokohama factory to Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Traffic on the expressway, which connects Tokyo and Nagoya, was backed up for more than 10 km with Golden Week holidaymakers and commuters.
