Fuel Tanker Crash On I-75 Kills One
A fiery crash involving a fuel tanker truck along US Highway 75 in Richardson on Wednesday has left one person dead.
NBCDFW reports that the fatal accident happened on Wednesday, August 12th, at approximately 9:57 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 near the President George Bush Turnpike and the Renner Road exit.
According to a police spokesperson who spoke with reporters, the driver of the 18-wheeler was traveling southbound on the highway when he lost control of his rig. The truck crashed through a median wall and crossed the highway into the northbound lanes. The tanker then overturned and caught fire.
Fuel spilled over the width of the northbound lanes. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Authorities have identified the truck driver who died in the crash as 28-year-old Colton Everett King
Firefighters were able to get the blaze under control, and a hazmat team was called to the scene of the crash. Highway crews were also at the scene of the crash to repair the damage that the accident made to the highway’s concrete divider.
Officials say that the road was closed for several hours while cleanup crews and accident investigators were on the site. The northbound lanes were reopened just before 8:00 p.m. Wednesday.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.