Groton ― Old Mystic Fire Chief Ken Richards said a tractor trailer carrying an estimated 80,000 pounds, or 40 tons of oranges, overturned early Tuesday on Interstate 95 northbound between the Allyn Street overpass and the scenic overlook.

Richards said his firefighters arrived a little after 4 a.m. to find a tractor trailer had flipped on its side, with the front of the truck still on the highway and the trailer on the other side of the crushed guardrail. He estimated the truck took out about 250 feet of guardrail in the area between exit 88 and 90.

The driver was able to get out of the truck by himself, according to Richards. He was taken by Mystic River Ambulance and Lawrence + Memorial Hospital paramedics to the hospital for treatment of injuries.

The fruit was unharmed, according to Department of Consumer Protection spokeswoman Kaitlyn Krasselt. She said an employee with the Food and Standards Division went to the crash and determined the oranges were safe for distribution.

Richards said two heavy-duty wreckers from Courville's Garage in Montville removed the tractor trailer.

The crash closed the northbound side of the highway for most of the morning, according to the state Department of Transportation. Traffic alerts show congestion was heavy as one lane remained shuttered until about 3 p.m.

State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection spokesman Ethan Van Ness said agency personnel responded to the crash to find approximately 5 gallons of fuel spilled on the roadway. There is no further environmental threat after a licensed environmental contractor cleaned up the spilled fuel, according to Van Ness.

e.regan@theday.com