A semi-trailer truck hauling 14,000 gallons of liquid propane slid and wrecked at I-215 and Redwood Road Monday night, barely averting what could have been a major explosion.
The accident closed the interstate and Redwood Road all night and into Tuesday morning. After partially pumping out the overturned rear tank, the unit was righted and then loaded onto a trailer about 7:30 a.m. and the highways were reopened at 8:45 a.m."It took longer than we thought to empty out the tank," said Capt. Paul Richards of the South Davis Fire District. "The rear tank had about 8,400 gallons of propane in it and it took a while to get it emptied and upright."
"We really lucked out," said Assistant Chief Tony Glezos.
The truck, owned by Flying J Inc., was hauling two tanks of propane east on I-215 around 8:30 p.m. when it hit something that caught in the drive wheels.
"He (the driver) felt something bump," Richards said.
Whatever the truck hit severed a fuel line, which began leaking diesel onto the wheels and road, making them extremely slick.
"It was like being on an ice-skating rink," Glezos said.
When the truck turned onto the Redwood Road exit less than 30 seconds later, authorities believe the rear tank fishtailed and slid completely around so that its back end was facing forward. It hit into the front tank, broke off, and tumbled about 60 yards, rolling over six or seven times, before finally coming to rest at the side of the exit ramp.
The front tank and cab of the truck went off the other side of the ramp and overturned, giving the driver, Don Ballif, some minor head injuries.
Ballif, 62, was taken to Lakeview Hospital in Bountiful for treatment, then discharged.
"He came back to the scene from the hospital, took one look at the truck, and went home," said Richards.
Before cleanup started, the Utah Highway Patrol blocked off sections of I-215 and Redwood Road in case the crashed rig exploded. A command post was set up 300 yards away, with only a few hazardous-materials workers initially allowed any closer.
Firefighters and cleanup crews cautiously worked through the night to clean up the wreck without setting off an explosion.
"We were lucky with the cool temperatures," Glezos said. "Cool temperatures bring low pressures (and a) smaller chance of the thing exploding."
Although the cold weather helped in one way, Richards said it could have worked against the crew, too, if the tanks had been leaking.
"Propane pools when it's cold; it doesn't dissipate. If it had pooled low to the ground, anything, any kind of spark or even a radio transmission, could have set it off and we would have had a catastrophe," said Richards.