Last modified: Friday, February 16, 2007 10:31 AM EST W. H. Riley & Son oil truck rolled over on Gregory Drive in Seekonk Thursday morning. The heating oil spilled on to the road from a leak in the truck. A Seekonk fire fighter places a dike down to help contain the spill. (Staff photo by MIKE GEORGE) Truck spills oil in Seekonk BY MICHAEL GELBWASSER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF SEEKONK - A massive environmental mess was narrowly averted Thursday when a tanker truck carrying 2,000 gallons of home-heating oil slid and overturned 100 feet from a catch basin leading to the Ten Mile River. Emergency crews frantically shoveled sand, chopped ice and placed absorbent pads to contain the spill from the ruptured W.H. Riley & Son tank and keep the fuel from reaching the river, which flows through Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The accident occurred about 10:20 a.m. at Gregory and Sunset drives, near Baker's Corner, officials said.It was unclear how much oil spilled. "It sounds as though a good portion of it is contained" to a pond near the Pawtucket Country Club, said Gail Mastrati, a spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Ice on top of the water "made it a little bit difficult to get to the oil, but at the same time contained it to that area," Mastrati said. The DEM had "no major concerns" about the spill late Thursday afternoon, she said. Both the DEM and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection responded to the spill. Seekonk Fire Chief Alan Jack said the truck driver, Bob Bachand, was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro for evaluation. Bachand was treated and released, a hospital spokeswoman said. The truck hit an icy patch, lost control, then hit dry pavement and flipped on its side at the Sunset Drive corner, Jack said at the scene. Jack said it was unclear how much fuel reached the catch basin. "We've been pretty successful," he said. "We've gotten a lot of it under control." Cyn Environmental was called by W.H. Riley owner Mark Allen to help with the cleanup. Jack said firefighters evacuated two homes as a precaution. Gregory Drive resident Gail Masse, among the evacuees, said she called 911 after hearing the truck crash. "I was a little concerned it would blow up," Masse said. Masse said she saw Bachand get out of the truck while she was talking to the emergency dispatcher. Masse said she was worried about the driver's safety. "I kept saying, 'Get away from the truck!' You could tell he was shaken up," she said. Masse said the crash did not surprise her, given the road conditions. "There were no sand trucks down here. It was a sheet of ice," she said. "This whole neighborhood was ripe for accidents." MICHAEL GELBWASSER can be reached at 508-236-0372 or at mgelbwasser@thesunchronicle.com.