FERTILIZER SPILL HALTS TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY, RAILROAD.

Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer

An overturned truck spilled hundreds of gallons of liquid fertilizer near Moorpark on Friday, shutting down a rural highway and briefly halting rail traffic in the area.

Between 500 and 600 gallons of potassium thiosulfate spilled onto Highway 118 during the single-vehicle crash, but the substance is believed to pose a health hazard only if ingested, Ventura County fire Battalion Chief Kevin Nestor said.

The truck's driver was taken to a hospital as a precaution because some of the liquid splashed him during the 11:50 a.m. crash, Nestor said. The driver, whose condition was not available, was otherwise uninjured, he said.

The truck's driver apparently lost control when he tried to stop for the crossing gates of an oncoming train, California Highway Patrol Officer Steve Reid said.

Police stopped traffic on Highway 118 at Tierra Rejada Road to the east and Somis Road to the west while fire crews cleaned up the spill.

Train traffic was halted through the area but was allowed to resume about 12:40 p.m. Metrolink trains weren't affected by the closure, a spokeswoman said.

Both lanes of the highway, which serves as a major trucking route and commuter artery between Moorpark and Camarillo, were expected to reopen about 6 p.m., the CHP said.

Andrea Cavanaugh, [phone]

andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com