Driver dies after explosion on I-91
- From: gpsman <gpsman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 07:02:21 -0700 (PDT)
Tanker rolls over after swerving to avoid hitting car
By James Vaznis and John Dyer
Globe Correspondent / March 29, 2008
CHICOPEE - The driver of a gasoline tanker truck died last night of
injuries caused when his truck rolled over on Interstate 91 and its
diesel fuel tank exploded, sending a fireball 60 feet in the air.
Aaron J. Staelens, 43, of Richmond, N.H., died at Massachusetts
General Hospital, spokeswoman Jennifer Gundersen said.
Staelens swerved to avoid a car crash unfolding in front of him around
9:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes near Exit 13A on the Chicopee curve,
a stretch of road that has been the site of frequent tractor-trailer
rollovers, State Police and city officials said.
"It's the most dangerous curve on the entire stretch of I-91, and it
is a direct result of faulty design," said Mayor Michael Bissonette of
Chicopee.
Staelens was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. He was
then flown by helicopter to Mass. General. A passenger in one car was
treated for minor injuries and released from Baystate Medical Center
yesterday afternoon.
The four-vehicle accident forced the closing of I-91 south for 1 1/2
hours; I-91 north was closed for nearly five hours.
During the rollover, the trailer with the gasoline tank separated from
the tractor and rolled off I-91, down an embankment, and onto Center
Street in an industrial neighborhood in Chicopee. The tank, which was
filled with 9,600 gallons of gasoline, was burning when firefighters
arrived, but did not explode, State Police said.
Firefighters took 90 minutes to extinguish the 1,000 gallons of
blazing diesel fuel from the truck's saddle tanks, State Police
Captain Barry O'Brien said.
Bissonnette said it was fortunate the accident did not occur near
residences. The fireball "was more visually dramatic than dangerous"
for the nearby neighborhood, he said.
The company that owned the truck, Abenaqui Carriers of North Hampton,
N.H., is also the owner of a gasoline tanker that exploded in Everett
in December. In that accident, the truck's tank ruptured, and burning
gasoline severely damaged several houses and destroyed dozens of cars.
Abenaqui Carriers said in a statement yesterday that Staelens was
"taking evasive action to avoid what may have been a disabled vehicle,
and that action caused the tanker to roll over." The statement said
that "speed was not a factor." A company spokesman also pointed out
that the driver in the Everett crash has not been cited or charged
with any wrongdoing.
Yesterday's crash was triggered when a 1995 Subaru stalled as it
merged onto northbound I-91 from Interstate 395. The car picked up
speed, but then struck a 2002 Nissan Altima.
The gas tanker swerved, but failed to avoid the Subaru and struck it
before running onto the right shoulder of the road and hitting a
traffic sign. The Subaru was then hit again from behind by another
car.
Witnesses told the Springfield Republican newspaper in a story on its
website yesterday that the driver was trapped in the truck and that
more than a dozen motorists pulled over to try to free the man, some
carrying blankets and jackets to smother the flames.
"They were trying to get him out of the cab, but everybody who tried
would be stopped by the flames," said Gregory Coleman of Westfield.
"There were just a bunch of people running towards the fire. It was
crazy."
The driver, however, was able to escape the truck. "There was this
sort of ring of fire around the cab, and he was able to pull himself
out," O'Brien said.
Moments later, the diesel fuel tanks blew up. "The explosion just
rocked the whole bridge," said Rebecca Colemen of Chicopee. "The car
bounced."
Chuck Swider, a Chicopee alderman, said he was about a quarter of a
mile away when the explosion happened, and he rushed to the scene.
"There was an immense amount of fire and black smoke," he said. "The
fuel was running down the side of the hill, almost similar to a
volcano."
When he arrived, Swider said, rescue workers had not yet reached the
scene. Soon afterward firefighters arrived and began trying to fight
the flames with water. When that did not seem to work, foam trucks
arrived, Swider said.
"It looked like the highway was actually on fire," he said. "It was
amazing, thick black smoke. You couldn't see anything but fire and
thick, black smoke."
State Police are still investigating whether negligence by any driver
was a cause of the accident. Part of the investigation is likely to
look at whether the trailer should have detached from the cab in the
crash, said Trooper Eric Benson.
Andrew Ryan of the Globe staff and correspondents Kate Augusto,
Jillian Jorgensen, and Matt Collette contributed to this report;
material from the Associated Press was also used.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/29/driver_dies_after_explosion_on_i_91/
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