Fuel Truck Crash Closes Turnpike for Hours
Crews work to clean massive spill
By CLAUDIA DOCAMPO and BRIAN HAMACHER
Updated 1:37 PM EST, Mon, Sep 14, 2009
A crash involving an overturned gas truck has caused a massive fuel spill that kept the turnpike closed until nearly 1 p.m. today, tying up traffic all morning.
The mess began when the tanker, loaded with 9,000 gallons of fuel, collided with a mini-van around 2:30 a.m. on the southbound side of the turnpike near Okeechobee Road, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
The van's driver was ejected several feet from his vehicle, suffering serious injuries, and he was airlifted from the scene to a nearby trauma center. The tanker's driver was also taken to the hospital by an ambulance.
The tanker is divided into three seperate compartments, each holding 3,000 gallons of fuel. Only one of the compartments was damaged, and the other 6,000 gallons of fuel were secure, according to MDFR.
Rescue units used a foam blanket over the spilled fuel to help contain the leak. It took several hours until the Turnpike was opened back up to traffic.
Turnpike traffic was shut down in both directions between Okeechobee Road and Red Road, MDFR said. Access from I-75 to the northbound lanes of the Turnpike was also closed down.
First Published: Sep 14, 2009 8:20 AM EST
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