Interstate 30 was the scene of a horrific accident involving a drunk driver and a tanker trucker that had just been filled with fuel. The March 28 accident began when a man reportedly drank at least 10 beers at a local Fort Worth bar. Police say that they are not sure, when the drunk driver entered I-30, but they do know that the first reports of a wrong-way driver began to be reported to the 911 operators at approximately 2:30 a.m. It was not long after these 911 calls began to be made that the drunk driver crashed head-on into the tanker truck. The tanker then overturned and exploded into a massive fireball. The truck driver died almost instantly.
When first responders arrived at the scene, the truck was completely engulfed in flames. The fireball that had shot high into the night sky could be seen for miles, witnesses told a NYC Truck Accident Attorney. Due to the amount of fuel involved, firefighters allowed most of it to burn before they extinguished the flames. The heat was so intense that it melted parts of the concrete and steel structure of the bridge. A Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) spokeswoman stated that the heat was so intense that it literally melted the concrete. She went on to add, “The fuel went down the bridge joints, and the fire followed it.” Repairs to the bridge are expected to take months to complete. Traffic will be affected for months, as the section of the bridge undergoing repair will be bottlenecked from four lanes into two until repairs are complete.
The 23-year old man who police arrested at the scene sits in the Mansfield Jail, police told a New York Truck Accident Attorney. If this type of accident occurred in The Bronx or Westchester County, NY, a qualified attorney would be contacted. He has been charged with suspicion of drunken driving and intoxication manslaughter, and his bail has been set at $90,000. Police sources have also said that they are awaiting the results of his blood alcohol test to be returned. The police spokesman also stated that the man they have in custody simply remembers that he had drunk 10 beers at a local bar, and did not remember driving onto the interstate highway. They also said that the man said that he was very sorry for his actions.
Continue reading