March 16th, 2010 | 
Author: PORT CLINTON, OH – An early morning tanker truck accident last Friday caused a fuel fire in Ottawa County, Ohio. The truck accident happened on Ohio State Route 2, a half mile west of Tettau Road near Port Clinton in Lake Erie Township on March 12. The accident area is in the far north central section of the state near the shores of Lake Erie, 40 miles southeast of Toledo, OH and 77 miles west of Cleveland, OH.
Authorities with the Erie Township Fire Department decided that in order to prevent an environmental hazard to the area they would let the 8,500 gallons of gasoline burn off on its own.
Shortly after 3:30 a.m. Friday morning, 29 year old Jason C. Uhlman of Bowling Green, OH, was driving a Freightliner commercial truck with a Fruehauf tanker east on Ohio State Route 2 near the Lake Erie Business Park. The tanker was filled with thousands of gallons of gasoline.
As Mr. Uhlman neared the intersection of Tettau Road he apparently lost control of his 18 wheeler truck. The truck driver first drove off the highway onto the right side, where he ran into a ditch. He then slammed into a driveway culvert which caused the tanker truck to overturn. The 18 wheeler then crashed into a utility pole and the semi tanker truck finally came to a stop. The multiple impacts of the truck accident ruptured the tank and it burst into a fireball of flames, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the night air.
WATCH VIDEO
The truck driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, escaped the burning tanker truck by climbing out the back window of the rig’s cab. He suffered minor injuries in the truck rollover and Erie Township EMS transported him to Magruder Hospital in Port Clinton.
Ohio Highway Patrol responded to the scene of the truck accident, as did several nearby police and fire departments. Authorities with the Erie Township Fire Department decided that in order to prevent an environmental hazard to the area they would let the 8,500 gallons of gasoline burn off on its own. Using water on the fuel fire could push the gasoline deeper into the soil and run off might get into the area’s water system.
MAP
An official with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency determined that the burn-off was mostly carbon and should not be a health hazard. The fuel fire would burn for seven hours, and OHP closed down Route 2 in the area surrounding the truck accident scene.
All lanes of the highway were finally opened back up at 3:40 p.m. Friday afternoon, which is about twelve hours after the tanker truck rolled over and burst into flames.
At this time the truck driver, Mr. Uhlman, has been charged with “Operating a Vehicle without Reasonable Control”. Additional charges may be brought pending the investigation.
STREET VIEW
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced that the owners of the tanker truck, Kenan Advantage Group of Canton, OH will have to hire a contractor and pay for the cleanup of the truck accident site. This cleanup will include digging up the contaminated soil and replacing it with clean dirt. THE OEPA will oversee the site cleanup by the trucking company.
Drugs and alcohol are not believed to have been a factor, and the truck accident remains under investigation.
Since trucking laws are governed by hundreds of regulations, litigation can be very complex. Hiring a truck accident attorney who specializes in the numerous trucking laws throughout the United States is essential for a successful verdict outcome. For more information about Ohio trucking laws, talk to an expert Ohio truck accident lawyer at 800.773.6770.
Posted in 
Tags: