Friday, April 3, 2015

BIG RIG FUEL TANKS SPILL MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF FUEL EVERY YEAR: BIG RIG CRASH SPILLS 200 GALLONS OF FUEL ON INTERSTATE-45 IN HUTCHINS, TEXAS





APRIL 3, 2015

HUTCHINS, TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) 

Traffic was slowed to a crawl in Hutchins early Friday morning after a big rig crash resulted in a fuel spill all over the highway. It happened just before 3:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Interstate-45, near the intersection with Dowdy Ferry Road in southeast Dallas County.

Details surrounding the actual crash are still under investigation.

But, according to officials with Dallas Fire-Rescue, hazardous materials teams were dispatched to the scene to clean up as much as 200 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled after the crash broke open the big rig’s fuel tank.

That vehicle has already been moved away from the scene. There has been no word yet about the driver’s condition, or what may have caused this crash to take place.

Crews had shut down the entire northbound side of the freeway for a time early Friday morning, but at least one lane is now open to traffic. Workers have put down a fuel absorbant material, but there is no word about when the interstate is going to fully opened again.

As we have been reporting over the years, the big rig fuel tanks spill millions of gallons of fuel every year because they are so easy to pierce.  Much better spill-proof design is required.  Imagine the savings in fuel costs, EMS personnel costs, explosion/fire costs, and so on.
 
Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/