It was a tanker truck accident which led to a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara County. Now, there’s a settlement of two court cases in connection with the crash which spilled more than 4500 gallons of crude oil into the Cuyama River.
Prosecutors say the March, 2020 accident happened because the driver of a truck headed from Bakersfield to Santa Maria was going too fast. The tank detached from the truck, and rolled down an embankment into the river.
The driver of the truck pled guilty to two misdemeanor charges. He was fined, put on probation, and ordered to do community service.
The owner of the transportation company paid more than $300,000 in cleanup costs. Golden Valley Transfer also agree to pay about $200,000 to compensate for environmental damage, and to cover civil penalties.
