Monday, July 13, 2015

Home Heating Oil tanker of Ron's Family Fuel fiery crash causes traffic delays on both sides of I-91 in Meriden, Connecticut



 
Heavy smoke after crash on I-91 in Meriden. (WFSB) Heavy smoke after crash on I-91 in Meriden. (WFSB)

 
State police tweeted this photo of the cleanup after the crash and fire on I-91. State police tweeted this photo of the cleanup after the crash and fire on I-91.

 
WFSB viewer Klejdja Qosja took this photo of the scene and called it "A very chilling sight." WFSB viewer Klejdja Qosja took this photo of the scene and called it "A very chilling sight."

 
This man drove through the fire and totaled his Subaru. He told WFSB he had no where to go. His vehicle was checked out by firefighters. (WFSB) This man drove through the fire and totaled his Subaru. He told WFSB he had no where to go. His vehicle was checked out by firefighters. (WFSB)

Posted: July 13, 2015
By Joseph Wenzel IV, News Editor

MERIDEN, CT (WFSB) - 

The northbound side of Interstate 91 in Meriden near the Wallingford town line on Monday morning remained closed after a crash involving a oil tanker that caught fire while spilling fuel on the highway. 

The crash was reported between exits 16 and 15  around 9:30 a.m. 

Meriden Fire Chief Kenneth Morgan told Eyewitness News the tanker truck with Ron's Family Fuel out of Plantsville had just loaded 2,900 gallons of home heating oil when the crash occurred.

State police are still investigating, but the belief out here is that the tanker blew a tire, causing the driver to lose control and crash. That sent the fuel all over the road with the truck going up in flames.

Morgan said a Good Samaritan behind the tanker, ran up and helped pull the driver out of the truck. Eyewitness News has learned that driver was pretty banged up and transported to the hospital.

"He obviously went off the side of the road, hit the guard rail, and based on the position of the vehicle, believed he hit the bridge, that spun the vehicle in the process, ripped the tanker off the chassis of the truck," Morgan said. 

“The tanker truck was in the right lane, I was in the left lane, I heard the pop, all of a sudden he hit the bridge abutment,” Steve Slaiciunas, of Wallingford said. “And as soon as he hit the bridge abutment, there was an explosion of gas, piece of the vehicle, gas went flying under my car."

The crash has closed the northbound side of I-91 between exits 15 and 16 while the southbound side is closed between exits 17 and 15. The one lane on the southbound side reopened around 11 a.m. and the rest of the southbound side re-opened around 12:15 p.m. 

Department of Transportation officials said the northbound side could be closed for quite some time.  State police are hoping to have the northbound side open by rush hour. Crews need to get the foam off the road, check the road to see if it is drivable.  DOT officials need to come out to check the bridge to make sure it is stable as well.

Drivers should avoid the area of the crash. State police tweeted that northbound traffic is being diverted off the highway at exit 15. Drivers should expect heavy traffic on side roads and Route 5/15.  

Heavy smoke could be seen for miles.  

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Source: http://www.wfsb.com