Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 28, 1991 TAG: 9103280532
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BOONES MILL LENGTH: Medium
One of the tanker's four cells was punctured, spilling an estimated 750 gallons. There was no fire.
Crews from six fire companies from Franklin County and neighboring Roanoke County contained the gasoline spill before it could reach nearby Maggodee Creek.
Truck driver Michael A. Harris, 28, of Roanoke, was taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition this morning, according to a hospital spokesperson.
State Trooper B.I. Whitmer Sr. said he would try to interview Harris later today to determine why the trucker smashed into the Boones Mill Exxon station around 2:30 a.m.
The tanker truck was left imbedded in the pottery shed until well after sunrise, while emergency crews devised a strategy for removing it without igniting the fuel.
The accident slowed commuters on U.S. 220 while emergency crews closed off the two southbound lanes and diverted traffic into the northbound lanes.
Claude Webster, public information officer for the Franklin County Emergency Services Department, said crews had wanted to close the highway completely because of the danger presented by the gas leak. But the roadway was kept open because there was no practical north-south detour, Webster said.
"Logistically," he said, "we just could not stop all the traffic on 220."
Webster said firefighters planned to coat the truck with fire-resistant foam before removing it.
Crews from Boones Mill, Rocky Mount, Scruggs, Callaway, Clearbrook and Cave Spring and the Virginia Department of Emergency Services helped with the cleanup.
Rescue workers said Harris, who has been a driver for Green Motor Lines since 1984, was fortunate that he did not leave the road sooner.
The tanker missed the gasoline pumps by less than 15 yards, before smashing into a large pottery shed attached to the gasoline station building.
The truck shattered clay pots and concrete statues and ripped through the shed.
Bobby Nichols, owner of Boones Mill Exxon, appeared unfazed by the destruction.
"It's happened to me four times," said Nichols, recounting past encounters with a dump truck, brick truck and other vehicles.
Amidst the rubble, ceramic statues of a mule and Mexican man remained standing by the roadside.
by CNB