Jul 6, 2009 8:53 pm US/Eastern
Tanker Crash Closes I-95, Spills Fuel In Merrimack
10 People Injured In Accident
NEWBURYPORT (WBZ) ―
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The tanker was carrying 10,000 gallons of gasoline when it crashed.
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Fuel spilled from the tanker and entered into the drainage system on I-95, making its way to the Merrimack River.
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This SUV was involved in the first crash that led to the tanker rollover.
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Traffic was backed up in both directions for miles.
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Some of the fuel leaked into the nearby Merrimack River.
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The crash happened about 1/3 mile south of the Merrimack River.
WBZ
Ten people were hurt in a crash involving a tanker truck and two cars that shut down Interstate 95 in Newburyport Monday, creating a day-long traffic mess.
The tanker was carrying 10,000 gallons of gasoline when it rolled over in the northbound lanes of I-95 near Exit 57-Route 113 around 9:15 a.m.
Thousands of gallons of fuel leaked over the road, into a drainage system and into the nearby Merrimack River, which is about one-third of a mile north of the crash scene.
All lanes of I-95 in both directions remained closed for hours during the cleanup. Southbound lanes were reopened just before 4 p.m. Northbound lanes were opened by early evening.
Crews sprayed a wide area of the crash scene with white foam to contain the gasoline. The Coast Guard and Harbor Master worked on the cleanup in the nearby river.
Watch: Raw SkyEye Video Above Scene
HOW IT BEGAN
State Police say it started when a Ford Expedition, driven by 32-year-old Salma Aguilar, collided with the tanker on the northbound side and rolled over.
The collision
caused the tanker to brake and slide on its side, blocking all lanes of traffic
and causing two other vehicles to become involved in the crash.
The tanker driver, 52-year-old Donald Branham, was not hurt, but ten other people were. Some of those injuries are serious.
"We can say that this crash was a result of a cascading effect from one person driving erratically. That resulted in other people taking evasive action, which resulted in the driver of the tanker taking evasive action," said State Police Captain Edward Amodeo. Amodeo did not name the erratic driver.
There were seven people in the Expedition and all were taken to area hospitals for treatment.
A 2007 Honda Odyssey being driven by 44-year-old Molly Morin of Hamilton and a Toyota Corolla operated by 29-year-old
Marianne Curcio of Newburyport were also involved in the crash and were transported to area hospitals.
An unidentified 10-year-old female passenger in the Odyssey was also taken to an area hospital.
TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE
Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions all day long. I-95 southbound travelers were forced off at Exit 59 onto Interstate 495. Northbound drivers were detoured off at Exit 56-Scotland Road in Newbury.
Several homes in a nearby neighborhood were evacuated as a precaution.
Police are still on the scene and are investigating the accident.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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