because 87-year-old douches endanger lives while wreaking economic and environmental havoc

unfortunately, very few versions of this report mention that this reckless driver is 87-years-old, or that the local outlet mall lost out on a metric assload of money

I-94 Closed For 9 Hours After Tanker Rollover

ALBERTVILLE, Minn. (WCCO) A crash between a station wagon and a tanker truck full of gasoline caused Interstate 94 to be shut down for more than nine hours Sunday.

The State Patrol says it happened just before 11 Sunday morning near the Albertville outlet mall when the station wagon made an illegal U-turn in front of a tanker truck, causing it to roll over and spill gasoline.

"This crash we believe was caused by a driver who was in the right lane of the freeway deciding to make a left-hand turn and literally made that left-had turn to get to the median which where we believe his action was to turn around because he missed his exit," explained Lt. Matt Langer with the Minnesota State Patrol.

The interstate was immediately shut down and cars were detoured between Monticello and Rogers via Big Lake and Elk River.

About 8,000 gallons of gas were spilled in the grassy area of the median. Environmental crews worked to remove the spilled gas while many motorists were stuck in traffic.

At one point traffic was at a complete standstill, leaving many sitting in traffic for hours.

"It slowed down a lot, I guess. We got down to 5 miles an hour for a little bit, we were at a standstill," said Anna Ahlsfs.

Traffic management officers spent most of the day moving people through the detours so drivers could get to their destinations.

"We actually got off and went across Highway 10 and then back to 94," said Ahlsfs.

The State Patrol says the driver of the station wagon suffered minor bumps and bruises. His passenger was taken to a local hospital, with non-life threatening injuries.

"This whole event would have been avoided had that driver gone to the next exit and turned around," added Langer. "His day would have been about 10 minutes delayed, but the freeway would have remained open. Nobody would have been hurt and there wouldn't have been such a significant impact on the motoring public."

So far no charges have been filed against the driver, but officers said he faces some citations and fines.

The State Patrol says environmental crews will decide when they will return to the scene to dig up and remove the dirt where the gasoline was spilled.