A tanker truck carrying jet fuel overturned on Highway 110 in Florence, killing one and injuring two and leading to the closure of the highway.
The crash occurred in the northbound lanes of the thoroughfare just before 11 p.m. Saturday near the Century Boulevard exit, with the Los Angeles Fire Department responding to the scene to clean up hundreds of gallons of spilled fuel covering the roadway. Rescuers discovered a deceased person under the overturned tanker.
The crash involved five vehicles, one of which was trapped under the overturned tanker carrying 9,000 liters of fuel. The driver of that vehicle did not survive, while two others were taken to hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the tanker managed to escape by kicking out the windshield, but appeared unharmed. He was transported to the hospital himself for a check-up.
“I was driving north on the 110 and the traffic started to slow down. And then, to my left, the traffic came to a complete stop and all I heard was a screeching noise. And the man, I think the man hit me. I didn’t even notice until I ended up on the side of the highway,” said Filipo Lafaele, the driver of the tanker truck.
While the southbound lanes of the 110 Freeway have reopened, the northbound lanes remain closed for investigation.
None of the vehicles caught fire, although firefighters exercised extreme caution due to fuel leakage. They successfully prevented the fuel from entering the storm drain by siphoning it and pumping it out after drilling holes in the tank.
The northbound lanes are expected to remain closed for some time and motorists are advised to seek alternate routes as there is currently no timeline for when the highway will reopen.
