Incident Report

Subject:   USA - Gas tanker explodes on I-75                  

Date of Email report:   Tue 01/06/2010

Report Detail:

Part of Interstate 75 was shut down for several hours early Saturday after a northbound tractor-trailer hauling 8,800 gallons of gasoline inexplicably caught fire and exploded about a mile south of the State Road 200 exit. The truck driver stopped his vehicle and escaped without injury. But two vehicle accidents happened after the explosion — one soon after, the other hours later. Five people were injured in the first wreck. The explosion happened about 2 a.m. Southbound lanes reopened at 5:25 a.m., and two northbound lanes were cleared at 7:45 a.m.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, here’s what happened: James Reedy was driving the tanker north on I-75 when he heard a hissing noise coming from under the dashboard. The 55-year-old Ocala driver looked in the side mirror and saw flames coming from the right rear tires. He pulled to the outside shoulder, quickly exited the cab and called 911. Reedy, a driver for Eagle Petroleum, was on his way to make a delivery to a Kangaroo gas station on SR 200. “The tanker fire was a result of an apparent mechanical failure,” the patrol reported later in a news release. It emphasized that the truck was not involved in a crash.

At about 2:15 a.m., as he responded to the tanker fire, Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew T. Bowers positioned his patrol vehicle to block all three northbound lanes. Bowers’ emergency lights were activated and he left the vehicle there unoccupied. Hulon Cole of Milledgeville, Ga., was driving his Lincoln Navigator northbound. His wife and family members were passengers in the SUV.  Cole apparently didn’t see the patrol vehicle at first and swerved to the right to avoid hitting it. The Lincoln struck the patrol car and rolled over, ejecting one of the passengers.

Cole, 46, was critically injured. He was flown to Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He was listed in fair condition Saturday afternoon. His wife, Dawn, also 46; her brother, Samuel L. Thomas, 50; and two other passengers, Tavis T. Thomas and Chavuis J. Cole, ages unknown, were taken by ambulance to Shands, West Marion Community Hospital, and Munroe Regional Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Ocala Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Brian Stoothoff and Marion County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Miranda Iglesias said firefighters received calls about the tanker fire at 2:06 a.m. While there, Iglesias said, they learned about the serious accident involving the Lincoln SUV. Some firefighters continued fighting the tanker blaze while others tended to the crash victims.

They had to extricate Hulon Cole from the SUV. At the tanker blaze, after briefly combating the fire, crews decided to let it burn itself out. By 4:50 a.m., the fire was nearly out and firefighters were extinguishing hot spots. Among the firefighting tools used: a special Ocala airport rescue truck that can provide thousands of gallons of foam.

A second accident occurred not long after the southbound lanes reopened. A semi parked in the center lane was struck by a newer model BMW SUV. No one was injured.

Road workers from Infrastructure Corporation of America were on scene early Saturday and told FHP officials they will have to repave the shoulder where the tanker blaze occurred.

Additional Documentation: