Demolished and burnt wreckage of a semi truck that rolled over and burst into flames under the Fairfield Ave overpass in Norwalk, CT on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Photo Credit: Nancy Guenther Chapman

Norwalk is located in Fairfield County, Connecticut in southwestern the part of the state about 73 miles southwest of Hartford, 10 miles northeast of Stamford and 9 miles southeast of Fairfield.

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The accident happened around 4:30 p.m. in the middle of rush hour traffic under the Fairfield Ave overpass on I-95. The big rig was traveling southbound on I-95 at the time.

Map showing location of semi truck accident in Norwalk, CT on Interstate 95 under the Fairfield Ave overpass where an 18 wheeler rolled over and caught fire on February 1, 2012.

Reports say that as many as 5 vehicles were involved. The driver became trapped in the burning truck and had to be extricated from the wreck by rescue personnel. Firefighters from the Norwalk Fire Department sprung into action, grabbing the jaws of life, jumping a fence and climbing down an embankment to get to the trapped driver.

An article in the Norwalk Citizen website reported on the incident:

Firefighters had to enter the highway up the northbound off-ramp the wrong way to cut down their response time, according to the Norwalk fire department. Another crew, from Truck 2, heard the call at their Connecticut Avenue fire station, jumped a six-inch chain link fence and ran down the embankment, with full gear, to reach the scene.

Other firefighters brought fire extinguishers and managed to keep the flames from spreading to the cab while the driver was being rescued. The trucker, identified as Nerys Granados, 28 years old from Bayshore, NY, suffered broken bones and other injuries but he was lucid and speaking to rescue personnel while he was being extricated from the burning wreck.

The accident damaged the truck’s fuel tanks and about 30 to 40 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled in the accident. The hazardous materials were cleaned up by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Fortunately, no evacuations had to be ordered and there were no injuries reported as a result of the hazardous materials.

The accident completely demolished the tractor trailer leaving nothing but burnt wreckage and a twisted pile of metal and undercarriage.

The accident spawned a search for a driver who caused the crash and then fled the scene. At first, police thought they were looking for a Chrysler LeBaron, but it turned out to be a 2004 Toyota Solara. Police followed up on a tip later that evening about a damaged Solara that was partially covered by a tarp in a parking lot at 92 Cedar St just a few blocks southwest of the scene of the accident.

The car was driven by Rachel Wood, 31 years old, from Norwalk. Police arrested the woman on drug charges and for reckless driving. Police said that Wood was smoking crack when they found her and that she was on a crack binge during the hours leading up to the crash.

Police also said that that she was going 135 miles an hour when she side-swiped a 2010 Nissan Frontier and set off a chain-reaction crash. The Nissan ran into the truck, which then crashed into the concrete barrier, then flipped over and rolled on its side. Debris flying from the crash also hit two other vehicles.

The truck driver was pulled from the wreckage on a stretcher and was taken to Norwalk Hospital with incapacitating injuries. As many as three other people involved in the accident were also injured, one of which was also hospitalized, although their injuries were non life-threatening.

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On January 28, 2012 a trucker crashed his semi truck into the loading dock at the trucking company where he worked in Edwardsville, IL then caused a 10 hour standoff with police before shooting himself in the head.

Edwardsville is located in Madison County, Illinois in the western part of the state about 164 miles southwest of Champaign and 157 miles southwest of Normal.

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The incident began around 2:00 a.m. early Saturday morning, January 28, 2012 at the Schneider National Trucking Company, 121 Enterprise Dr in Edwardsville. The trucker was identified as Roger Adams, 51 years old from Alton, IL, which is located about 14 miles northwest of the trucking facility in Edwardsville.

Map showing location of the Scneider National Trucking Company at 121 Enterprise Dr. in Edwardsville, IL where a trucker rammed into the building, set fires and then shot himself after a long standoff with police.

Adams reportedly crashed the cab of the 18 wheeler into the building, which caused a fire. He then proceeded to enter the building and set additional fires. This began a long standoff with police after an employee in the building called 911.

Police fired tear gas into the building, after which time Adams shot himself in the head. This happened shortly before 12 noon on Sunday and marked the end of a 10-hour standoff. Adams was transported to Anderson Hospital after which he was airlifted to St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, MO. He was pronounced dead at 9:14. p.m. on Sunday, January 29, 2012.

An article in the Jacksonville, IL Journal-Courier website reported on the story:

The calls prompted a massive response from police and fire crews, which were held at bay for many hours over concerns for their safety. Roads near the scene were shut down. Edwardsville Police Department put out a broadcast on the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network for immediate assistance, which prompted response from numerous departments, as well as the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System tactical team, a SWAT force made up of police from many jurisdictions. A hazardous materials response team also was called in.

It was originally reported that the truck was a fuel tanker, but it turned out to be a semi truck with a container trailer.

Investigators proceeded to Adams’ home where he had spray painted a message that the house was booby-trapped. A bomb squad was called to his residence where it was discovered that he previously had set a fire.

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18 wheeler laying on its side after it overturned on exit ramp 57 off I-95 in Guilford, CT on Tuesday, January 10, 2012.

Guilford is located in New Haven County, Connecticut in the south-central part of the state about 38 miles southeast of Waterbury, 33 miles northeast of Bridgeport and 14 miles southeast of New Haven.

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The driver had to be extricated from the big rig that rolled over. He was transported to the hospital. There are no details as to his condition but his injuries were reported to be non life-threatening.

The accident occurred around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday at exit 57 on Interstate 95 in Guilford. The truck overturned on the off ramp at Boston Post Rd. pinning the driver in his cab.

Map showing location of 18 wheeler accident in Guilford, CT where a tractor trailer overturned while exiting northbound I-95 at exit 57.

Some diesel fuel was leaking and emergency responders called in a HazMat team to deal with containment of the hazardous materials.

Officials from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection were called to the scene. Fortunately, no evacuations had to be ordered.

An article at TheDay.com website reported on the story:

The driver of a tractor trailer was trapped inside the vehicle after it flipped onto its side in Guilford at approximately 1:40 p.m. today. According to reports from Guilford emergency responders the truck overturned when it exited I-95 North at exit 57, blocking the lane of the exit ramp. Exit 57 North has been closed.

Emergency responders had to extricate the driver from the 18 wheeler. He was extricated around 2:45 p.m. He was then transported about 2.4 miles to Yale-New Haven hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.

The on and off ramps were temporarily closed at exit 57 while emergency responders from the Guilford Fire Department and officials from several government agencies were at the scene including personnel from the Department of Transportation, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection plus the Connecticut State Police.

According to the police, no other vehicles were involved in the accident.

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View facing south of U.S. 41 in Tampa, FL at South 34th Ave. (on the right) where a 39 year-old motorist was killed on January 18, 2012.

Tampa is located in Hillsborough County, Florida on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the western part of the state about 201 miles southwest of Jacksonville, 36 miles southwest of Lakeland and about 23 miles east of Clearwater.

The victim was identified as Melvin James Rolfe, 39 years old from Tampa. The accident occurred shortly after 6:00 a.m. on Thursday while Rolfe was traveling southbound on U.S. 41 near South 34th Ave.

A semi trailer was making a left turn onto U.S. 41 northbound from eastbound 34th Ave South. The tractor trailer stopped in the middle of the highway, blocking all southbound lanes of U.S. 41 to yield to traffic in the northbound lanes.

Map showing location of fatal semi truck accident where a 39 year-old motorist was killed on January 18, 2012 at the intersection of South 34th Ave. and U.S. 41 in Tampa, FL.

Rolfe was in a Ford Explorer traveling south on U.S. 41 in the center lane. He braked and swerved to the right in order to avoid hitting the big rig but was unable to and crashed into the truck’s undercarriage. His vehicle became pinned under the 18 wheeler.

The truck driver, Rafael Meireles, 41 years old, also from Tampa, was not injured in the accident.

The accident is currently under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

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BMW hangs perilously over the edge of a freeway bridge over a ravine in Buellton, CA after semi truck knocked it through the concrete railing. Photo credit: Keyt.com

Buellton is located in Santa Barbara County, California on the Pacific coast in the south west part of the state about 345 miles southeast of Santa Rosa, 280 miles southeast of San Leandro, 189 miles southeast of Salinas and 43 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.

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Buellton, which is more well known for its split pea soup, was the scene of a dramatic rescue to save the lives of a San Juan Capistrano, CA family that was trapped in their car that was dangling over the edge of the bridge.

The accident happened around 2:40 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2012 in the the 101 freeway in Buellton, CA on a bridge over a creek about .7 of a mile south of Santa Rosa Rd.

Map showing location of semi truck accident near Buellton, CA on the northbound 101 freeway on a creek overpass about .7 mile south of the Santa Rosa Rd. Exit.

The BMW was traveling northbound on U.S. 101 in the left lane and was struck by an 18 wheeler that came up on the right. The crash pushed the BMW through the concrete railing and the big rig went over the edge into the creek below, then burst into flames.

The occupants of the car were a 36 year-old mother, her 10 year-old daughter and 10-week old infant. Unfortunately, the truck driver perished in the accident, his tractor-trailer fully engulfed in flames in the creek bed below.

The accident damaged the bridges in both directions of traffic. A group of Navy Seabees happened to be stuck in traffic on the southbound side. The Seabees sprung into action and used a forklift to support the car and keep it from falling and allow rescue personnel to safely extract the occupants.

An article in the Keyt.com website reported on the story:

Santa Barbara County Firefighters, with an eight engine response team, arrived on scene to find a big rig truck fully engulfed in flames at the bottom of a creek. Kelli Groves, 36, her daughter 10-year old Sage and 10-week-old infant, Milo, all of San Juan Capistrano, were trapped inside their BMW, dangling off the side of a bridge

The big rig driver, who died at the scene, was identified as Charles Arthur Allison Jr., 48 years old, from Grover Beach, CA. The occupants of the BMW were Kelli Groves, 36 years old, her daughter Sage, 10 years old and her 10-week-old baby, Milo.

They were transported to a hospital in Santa Barbara, where they were reported to have “sustained broken bones and moderate injuries.” No other details are available as to their injuries or their condition.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) closed down 101 traffic in both directions until the rescue was complete and the accident scene was cleared.

It was reported that about 50 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled into the creek below. Hazmat personnel were called in to deal with the hazardous materials.

The cause of the accident is not known at this time but is currently under investigation. Investigators do not know why the big rig lost control and swerved into the BMW, crashed through the concrete rail and plunged 50 feet into the creek below.

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Semi Truck accident involving 2 tractor-trailers leaves one trucker dead in a horrific crash on I-35 in Oklahoma City, OK on January 6, 2012. Photo credit: KFOR-TV

Oklahoma City is located in Canadian County, Cleveland County and Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma in the central part of the state about 141 miles east of Muskogee, 106 miles southwest of Tulsa and 19 miles northwest of Norman.

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The accident occurred around 1:00 p.m. on Friday, January 6, 2011 on Interstate 35 just south of the I-44 interchange near NE 122nd Street in Oklahoma City, OK. A tractor trailer was heading southbound on I-35 just north of NE 122nd Street when the truck lost control, crossed the median into the northbound lanes and crashed into an oncoming semi truck.

Map showing location of fatal big rig crash between 2 semi trucks on I-35 near NE 122nd Street in Oklahoma City, OK on January 6, 2012.

The driver of the northbound 18 wheeler was killed in the accident. The deceased trucker was identified as Martin Alba, 54 years old from Riverside, CA. His big rig hit a pole supporting a freeway sign which severed the engine from the tractor and peeled the container trailer open, completely demolishing the truck and scattering its cargo all over the shoulder.

Authorities were not sure if there was more than one victim in the accident, though, or whether there was another victim trapped in the wreckage.

An article in The Republic website reported on the story:

Two sets of identification were found in the debris from the northbound truck, so investigators are trying to determine if another victim is in the wreckage

The southbound truck, an empty 1999 Peterbilt Haliburton semi tanker, came to a stop just short of the NE 122nd Street overpass on the northbound side of the road. The stopped truck was laying on its side completely blocking all the northbound lanes of traffic.

The driver of the southbound semi truck, Randy Edwards, 56 years old from Waurika, OK, managed to get out of the cab and was taken to a hospital. According to some reports he did not appear to have suffered serious external injuries, but he did suffer internal and head injuries. He was transported by ground ambulance to St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City.

A car driven by Linda Lane, 66 years old, was also struck by the southbound semi truck. According to reports, she was not injured in the accident.

The northbound lanes of I-35 were closed for several hours while emergency personnel, Police investigators and Hazmat crews worked the scene of the accident.

The cause of the crash is not known at this time, but is currently under investigation.

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The accident happened at State Road 64 and 64th Street Court East around 4:15 Thursday afternoon. The Florida Highway patrol told the media that the bus collided with the back of the tractor trailer.

Twenty two students and the bus driver were transported to three area hospitals with minor injuries.

Reports say that the driver of the tractor trailer did not appear to be injured.

Students, who call their school bus driver ‘Mr. Charles,’ told Florida state troopers that he was distracted while driving down SR 64 East in Bradenton.

ABC Action News reports:

The children say the driver was facing the children, not the road, and chastising at least one student, threatening to write him up. He had the referral, and was looking back,” said 11-year old student Elijah Moore.

“He turned his head around to give someone a referral,” said student Mario Perez.

He was so distracted, they say, that students braced for the tractor trailer in front of them before the bus driver did.

“I instantly looked, and I saw the semi-truck,” said student Darnie Pascal.

When the tractor-trailer didn’t stop their school bus, a good Samaritan tried to put the brakes on. The bus came to a stop 500 yards from the original accident scene.

The accident remains under investigation at this time.

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Fiery semi truck accident in Creve Coeur, IL on I-474 at Route 29 where a big rig trailer plunged over the edge of the overpass onto traffic below. Photo credit: Josh Bradshaw / Times staff

Creve Coeur is located in Tazewell County, Illinois in the central part of the state about 129 miles southwest of Naperville, 91 miles northwest of Champaign and 39 miles northwest of Normal.

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The big rig landed on a minivan and a car on the road below then was set ablaze after its fuel tanks erupted and caught fire. Miraculously, no one was killed in the crash or fire but several people were seriously injured and were transported to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in nearby Peoria.

The accident happened just before 5:00 p.m. on Friday when the 18 wheeler, driven by 25 year-old Daniel Schafer and traveling westbound on I-474 and was passing another semi truck. The big rig struck the shoulder barrier between the eastbound and westbound sides of the bridge, then jackknifed and went over the edge onto the roadway below.

Map showing location of fiery semi truck accident on I-474 at the Route 29 interchange in Creve Coeur, IL where a refrigerated trailer plunged from the overpass onto motorists below.

The truck was hauling a refrigerated trailer which separated from the truck’s tractor and then went over the edge onto Route 29 below leaving the cab stuck on the overpass above.

An article in the Pekin Daily Times website carried the story:

The semi struck the overpass bridge at Illinois Route 29, causing the semi’s power unit to overturn and the trailer to separate. The trailer went off the overpass and down onto northbound Route 29, where it struck a Chrysler minivan driven by Eva Bowman, 37, of Pekin, and a Saturn passenger car driven by Jennifer Marcacci, 35, of Dunfermline

Diesel fuel began to leak from the big rig’s fuel tanks which caused the blaze.

One witness at the scene believed that the semi truck experienced a tire blowout, which caused the trucker to lose control of the rig.

About 20 fire trucks responded to the incident and traffic was stopped in all directions while firefighters and rescue personnel responded to the accident.

It took several hours to put out the fire and traffic was finally reopened on the eastbound side of I-474 around 9:15 p.m.

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Charred remains of an 18 wheeler after smashing into the concrete support of an overpass and bursting into flames on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 in Manteca, CA.

Manteca is located in San Joaquin County, California in the central part of the state about 64 miles southeast of Concord, 62 miles southeast of Sacramento and 51 miles northeast of Hayward.

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The fiery crash separated the cab from the tractor trailer and sent it along with the truck driver across the highway where it came to rest on the other side of the road.

The accident occurred around 10:00 a.m. on the southbound Highway 99 at the Louise Ave overpass in Manteca. The tractor trailer sideswiped a Honda sedan just north of the overpass, then went across the highway and into the grassy median.

Map showing location of fiery semi truck accident on Highway 99 in Manteca, CA at the Louise Ave overpass.

The big rig then went out of control and hit a bridge support on the overpass which severed the cab and sent it skidding across the northbound lanes where it finally came to rest on the ground next to the bridge and off the northbound roadway.

A Courageous and Compassionate Medical Assistant Helps The Injured Trucker

The truck burst into flames sending a column of thick black smoke into the sky. The driver remained in the severed cab with a bleeding head wound. Sandra Gardere, a 34 year-old medical assistant from Manteca, happened to be driving on the highway at the time.

She pulled over and sprung into action tending to the truck driver’s injuries and fearlessly stayed with him while a fire was erupting only yards away. She stayed by his side the whole time, never leaving him and applied presssure to his wound with a towel and kept him conscious by talking with him until emergency medics arrived and airlifted him to the hospital.

An article in the Stockton Record website reported on the dramatic story:

“He had a huge gash above his right eye that was just bleeding all over the place,” said Sandra Gardere of Manteca. “He almost lost consciousness a few times, … and as this was going on, the tires were burning and exploding, and I was hoping it wasn’t the gas tank.”

The trucker, 56 year-old Anthony Mata, was transported by air ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, CA, where he was reported to be in serious condition.

The driver of the Honda that was sideswiped by the big rig was reported to be unharmed.

Cal Trans officials examined the overpass and bridge supports to determine if any structural damage had occurred to the overpass. According to officials, the damage was cosmetic. The bridge structure was determined to be sound but repairs would have to be made.

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Billows of thick black smoke can be seen for miles from a fuel tanker explosion and fire that caused major structural damage to an overpass on the 60 Freeway in Montebello, CA.

Montebello is located in Los Angeles County, California in the southern part of the state about 20 miles southeast of Burbank, 16 miles southeast of Glendale and 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

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The incident began around noon on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 when a double tanker truck carrying 8,800 gallons of gasoline caught fire on the eastbound Pomona Freeway (the 60 Freeway), which is a major artery in Southern California.

The tanker stopped under the Paramount Bl. overpass and the big rig driver along with a passenger managed to get out of the truck in time without getting hurt.

Map showing location of fuel tanker explosion and fire in Montebello, CA on the Pomona Freeway (the 60 freeway) at the Paramount Bl exit and overpass.

Fortunately, neither the trucker nor any motorists or pedestrians were injured, but it was reported that a firefighter suffered a broken leg while fighting the blaze.

However, the incident did involve hazardous materials so a HazMat team was dispatched to monitor the situation. There were no evacuations ordered as a result of the hazardous materials.

The incident caused extensive structural damage to the overpass and a portion of it is scheduled for demolition. CalTrans, (the California Department of Transportation) is monitoring the situation and the demolition is slated to begin immediately. The repairs should be completed rapidly due to the traffic demands in the area.

The fire was so intense that the concrete from the overpass was popping off and crumbling away. In some of the aerial news footage, chunks of crumbled concrete could be seen blanketing the westbound traffic lanes.

Billows of thick black smoke from the blaze could be seen for miles, darkening the sky.

The biggest inconvenience will be to motorists who have to find alternate routes until the freeway is reopened.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time but is currently under investigation.

An article in the NBC Channel 4 website reported on the story. In the article CHP Officer Saul Gomez made some interesting observations:

We don’t know what caused this thing to spark up, but we can tell you that this is an extremely dangerous situation, … With these big rigs, anything can happen … Many times what we’ve seen is that they usually spark up from a brake problem, an electrical problem. It could be a myriad of things. At the moment we don’t have that information though.

Gomez’s remarks are telling. A passing motorist shot a video from his cell phone as he was traveling the opposite direction under the overpass. In the video one can see flames under the front tanker trailer developing around the left front tire of the dual axle in the rear of the tanker. It looks like the tire is completely on fire.

WATCH VIDEO – NOTICE THE FRONT TIRE OF THE DUAL AXLE OF THE FRONT TANKER

It took firefighters about two hours to extinguish the flames. The semi tractor and cab plus the front tanker trailer were completely consumed in the blaze. Hopefully, investigators will be able to sift throught the ashes and find the cause of the fire.

Burn injuries are very common in this type of situation and it was very fortunate that no one suffered any burn injury in this incident.

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