Accident Dumps Hundreds Of Gallons Of Yellow Paint At Bandelier National Monument

Hundreds of gallons of yellow highway striping paint were spilled into Bandelier National Monument when a truck failed to negotiate a sharp curve on Highway 4. NPS photo.

You can color Bandelier National Monument yellow...at least a portion of it following an accident that dumped hundreds of gallons of yellow highway striping paint on a hillside in the monument.

The wreck along Highway 4 on the northern side of the monument late Tuesday morning occurred when the truck failed to negotiate "a steep, sharp curve" and rolled down an embankment onto park land, Bandelier officials say.

"Hundreds of gallons of paint spilled on the landscape, and diesel fuel leaked at the site," park officials reported. "A Hazmat team from Los Alamos National Labs responded to mitigate the spread of the fuel leak until the wreckage can be stabilized and/or removed."

The truck's driver came away from the wreck with only cuts and bruises.