Fiery Truck Crash Shuts Down Interstate-30 In Dallas
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - A fiery crash just west of downtown Dallas shut down a major highway and caused a traffic nightmare for thousands of drivers on Friday. The incident happened just before 2:00 a.m. along Interstate-30 near Sylvan Avenue and Hampton Road.
According to authorities, a tanker truck carrying 8,750 gallons of gasoline collided with two other vehicles, a white sedan and another 18-wheeler, in the eastbound lanes of Interstate-30. The tanker truck, driven by 35-year-old Shayn Goffe, slammed into a wall and spilled fuel along the highway. That fuel then ignited and resulted in a series of explosions.
While the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, officials with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office told CBS 11 news Friday afternoon that it's believed the crash happened when the driver of a white car changed lanes and forced the driver of another 18-wheeler, Jerry Fowler, to change lanes. That move, in turn, forced Goffe to change lanes and resulted in him crashing the tanker.
Witnesses told CBS 11 News they could hear the squealing of car brakes just before the explosions. "I don't know if they had multiple fuel tanks, but it was like, 10 explosions," said witness David Torres. "Boom! Boom! Then I looked outside my house, about a mile from here, to see all the black smoke in the air."
"You should have seen the fire, dude. Way up in the sky, man," said witness Marin Limones. "Not only once. Then, the second time, it went even higher, dude."
At least three people were injured during the crash. Goffe and the two females who were in the sedan, ages 21 and 23, were transported to Dallas Methodist Hospital and were treated and released. Trucker Fowler refused treatment.
Emergency crews said that the majority of the fuel was allowed to burn off, which caused the large flames and thick smoke to fill up the night sky. But some of the fuel escaped the fire. Crews remain on the scene, trying to clean up that mess.
Cynthia White, with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) says workers have been able to scrap off a lot of the charred, damaged surfaces of the blackened stretch of road, but says getting the surface permanently repaired will be a challenge because temperatures will soon be dropping. "To relay asphalt it's gotta be above 40 degrees,"explained White. "As soon as we can get out there and ya know put on some asphalt down there for temporary repairs we will do that."
There was between 300 and 400 feet of road damaged by the explosion. TxDOT says they will bill the trucking company for the repairs.
An unknown amount of the hazardous material did reach nearby Coombs Creek, crews said. Storm water experts are now testing water samples to see if local water supplies will be impacted by the crash.
The most immediate fallout of the crash could be seen on area roads. Traffic backed up along Interstate-30 for miles. Both sides of the highway were shut down, because fuel had leaked across the median. Crews were able to complete the clean-up process on the westbound side and re-open those lanes just before 7:00 a.m. Friday morning. The rest of the highway was re-opened later Friday afternoon.
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
