November 3rd, 2010 | 
Author: AUSTIN, TX – A driver died from injuries he received in a fiery tanker truck accident early Saturday morning, Oct 30, on U.S. Highway 183 in Travis County, Texas. The rollover semi crash occurred on the highway overpass above MoPac Boulevard in the state capital city of Austin, TX. The truck accident area is in the central part of Texas, about 196 miles south of Dallas, TX.
Early Saturday morning an unidentified truck driver was driving a semi tanker truck on north U.S Highway 183, traveling through Austin in Travis County, TX. The tanker section of the truck was filled with a little over 6,000 gallons of gasoline. At this time the Austin Police Department has not released the identity of the driver, his destination, and the tanker truck company that owns the semi and the fuel.
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The truck accident occurred at about 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning as the driver was taking the tanker truck on the US 183 bridge ramp that leads to southbound MoPac Blvd, also know locally as Loop 1. For unknown reasons the tanker truck went off balance and the driver lost control of the 18 wheeler rig. Police officers investigating the crash believe the driver may have been going too fast around the curve on the over pass.
The tanker truck flipped over, crashing down on its side. The force of the roll over truck accident punctured the tanker section. Gas began to spill out and the tanker truck exploded into flames, spewing smoke into the early morning air. No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.
Austin firefighters and emergency medical services rushed to the site of the tanker truck accident. A total of 75 firefighters and 20 units would respond to the fiery scene. The flames from the semi tanker, fed by the thousands of gallons of fuel, were too intense and the driver died inside the semi.
Due to the nature of the material in the tanker firefighters were forced to let the fire burn for almost three hours. According to an officer with the fire department adding water to the gasoline would contaminate the runoff which would get into the local water systems. Officials were also concerned that the intense heat could weaken the structural integrity of the overpass bridge. Firefighters sprayed water on the under section of the overpass to cool the surface and keep it from melting and falling apart.
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Austin Police took control of the truck accident scene, shutting down the US 183 overpass and the section of MoPac Blvd. that runs under the bridge. Vehicles were diverted onto secondary roads and this would create back-ups stretching back several miles, particularly in the areas north of the truck accident site.
The delays would last for most of the day while highway crews worked to clear the traffic lanes and removed the burnt wreckage of the tanker truck. Engineers with the Texas Department of Transportation came to the site of the truck accident to examine the bridge for damage. According to a spokesperson with Texas DOT there was no structural damage but there was surface damage. Texas DOT estimated that the repairs would cost about $500,000, which could be passed on to the trucking company.
At this time no charges have been brought pending the completion of the truck accident investigation.
Gordon Elias & Seely, LLP recommend that if you know anyone who has been injured or killed as the result of a commercial truck accident involving a semi truck, 18 wheeler, big rig, tractor trailer or bus, tell them to immediately contact a qualified truck accident lawyer for advice. Often times the truck company and the truck driver will be from other states other than where the accident occurred. Truck accident attorneys often times have relationships with other experienced truck accident attorneys licensed in other states. Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP are licensed in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Washington, DC and have informal relationships with other truck accident lawyers. For more information, contact our Austin truck accident lawyers. Call 800.773.6770.
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