WAUSEON — A section of the Ohio Turnpike that was closed through Friday in Fulton County has reopened after a fatal collision Thursday between a tanker truck and a commercial truck, which were both engulfed in flames.
Turnpike maintenance crews diverted traffic at Exit 34 for State Rt. 108 near Wauseon and Exit 25 for State Rt. 66 near Archbold.
Both directions of the turnpike remained closed as authorities worked to pump helium into the tanker, which was carrying 3,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen, to prevent it from exploding again.
“Hydrogen is a very flammable chemical, and helium is inert,” ODOT District 2 Director Todd Audet said, explaining the HazMat personnel’s safety technique.
The helium filling was completed late Friday night to allow reopening of westbound I-80 traffic. The eastbound lane remained closed into the early morning hours today while pavement damaged by the fire was replaced before opening to traffic around 2 a.m.
The accident caused the death of the driver whose truck hit the tanker about 8:50 p.m. on Thursday, which followed two other accidents in the same area in less than two hours.
Crews from several county fire departments were dispatched to the burning rig.
While the Ohio Highway Patrol did not immediately release the name of the victim and was still in the process of notifying the family, patrol Lt. Jerrod Savidge said the man was from the Springfield, Ohio, area.
The fatal crash in the eastbound lanes near milepost 32 occurred when the driver of the commercial truck hit the back of the tanker, which was stopped, killing him. The tanker then lurched forward and hit a box truck, partially flattening its nose. The tanker then burst into flames from the rear, lit the commercial vehicle on fire, and continued burning until 3:30 p.m. Friday, Mr. Audet said.
“The biggest challenge, obviously, is managing all the traffic,” he said Friday. “Turnpike people want to get back on the turnpike, and then everything disperses. The problem keeps moving around.”
The last time the turnpike experienced extreme traffic trouble was in March, 2014, when a snowy pile-up of nearly 90 cars killed three people and injured more than a dozen others in Sandusky County.
Thursday’s fatal accident occurred soon after two other minor accidents. The first crash was reported in the eastbound lane near milepost 34 about 7 p.m., and authorities said the resulting injuries did not appear life-threatening. The second crash was reported about a half-mile west of the first about 8:15 p.m. and did not result in injuries.
Contact Elena Saavedra Buckley at: ebuckley@theblade.com, 419-724-6050, or on Twitter at @elenaSB_.
First Published June 25, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
