Fuel truck driver killed in fiery crash on I-95 in Connecticut identified as Wallace Fauquet III
CONNECTICUT -- The driver of a fuel truck who died in a fiery crash atop a major highway bridge in Connecticut has been identified as Wallace Fauquet III, 42, of Stonington.
State police released the driver's name Friday evening, hours after the crash sent a huge column of black smoke pouring into the sky and closed part of the bridge for hours.
Several other people sustained injuries but none were life threatening, officials said.
State police said a passenger vehicle blew a tire and came to a stop on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge at around 11 a.m. Friday.
The fuel truck slammed into the parked car from behind, causing the truck to roll over and erupt into flames that swallowed both vehicles, according to the state police accident report.
Officials said the truck spilled about 2,200 gallons of home heating oil, some of it flowing into the Thames River, which separates New London and Groton.
Environmental crews worked to contain the spill.