CHOCOWINITY — Two vehicles were parked on the North-bound shoulder of U.S. Highway 17 bypass on Thursday when an 18-wheeler came along and struck both vehicles, totaling both, spilling gallons of diesel fuel onto the highway, according to Trooper S.W. Bryant, with North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

According to Bryant, the driver of the 18-wheeler failed to merge into the opposite lane to avoid the collision and has been charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid collision. Two adults and one child were transported to Vidant Beaufort Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The Environmental Protection Agency arrived on the scene to assess the damage of the spill.

According to Robert Tankard, the assistant supervisor of the Division of Water Resources, Water Quality Regional Operations Section, approximately 30 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled.

“The responsible party, Shavendar Trucking, has hired an environmental firm to clean up the spill,” said Tankard. “They were supposed to have been on site at approximately 1:30 p.m. Shavendar is supposed to give us an update in the next couple of days as far as what they have recovered.”

According to Tankard, the fuel spilled into the wetlands below the bypass.

“As far as the wetlands, it’s pretty much contained,” Tankard said. “There is no wind. The duckweed is pretty much keeping it in one little area so it was our understanding that the environmental firm was en route and they were going to vacuum up the spill.”