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Trucker avoids car, but crashes

When a car swerved into his lane, he says he veered left, crashing past a concrete wall into southbound lanes.

By Times Staff Writer
Published October 7, 2005

TAMPA - The driver of a semitrailer truck tried to avoid colliding with a car that veered into his lane early Thursday along Interstate 275 south of Dale Mabry Highway, but he crashed into a cement barrier wall and tied up rush-hour traffic for more than three hours.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Enner K. Guerrero, 62, of Tampa, was driving the semitrailer truck north in the highway's center lane at 6 a.m. when another northbound vehicle moved into his lane.

Guerrero steered to the left to avoid hitting the vehicle, hit the barrier wall, crossed into the southbound lanes and overturned - finally coming to rest on the south side of the highway, with part of the truck stuck on top of the wall.

The other vehicle kept driving, never suffering a scratch, troopers said. Guerrero was not injured, but the truck sustained an estimated $20,000 in damage, according to the Highway Patrol.

Troopers shut down the southbound lanes for three hours to investigate the crash and let crews clean up the 60 to 70 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled onto the highway. Southbound traffic was backed up for miles, with frustrated commuters idling well north of downtown Tampa.

[Last modified October 7, 2005, 01:49:15]