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Driver's wrong turn led to crash, blaze

About $500,000 in city property is scorched, and I-375 ramp is out for weeks.

By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published March 30, 2007

Visitors traveling to this weekend’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg from the north should exit Interstate 275 at either 22nd Avenue N, Fifth Avenue N or Interstate 175 near Tropicana Field. Race fans exiting at 22nd Avenue N should turn left off the interstate and head toward Fourth Street. From there, travelers can access either of the city’s downtown garages. The Tropicana Field parking lot can be accessed by using I-175. Visitors coming from the south are unaffected by the ramp closing.

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Willie J. Allen Jr.] Not much remained Thursday of the charred tanker truck, which burst into flames Wednesday night on a ramp to Interstate 375. State and local officials were checking the structural damage to the highway and said it could take weeks to repair. [Times photo: Willie J. Allen Jr.] Blackened concrete on Interstate 375; the fire burned through a foot of concrete in some places, exposing the steel underneath.

ST. PETERSBURG - A truck driver hauling diesel fuel to Sarasota apparently took the wrong exit Wednesday night before crashing into a wall on the ramp to Interstate 375, igniting an explosion that turned the sky purple and rained fire 30 feet below.

Ronald Kennedy, 47, was ferrying 12,000 gallons of fuel southbound on I-275. About 10:40 p.m., he entered the ramp to I-375, which would have taken him to downtown St. Petersburg, according to Fire & Rescue Chief Jim Large.

"He missed" staying on I-275 south, Large said.

It could take weeks before the I-375 on-ramp is repaired and reopened to traffic. The state Department of Transportation said it would have to replace one span of the bridge and repair at least one of the columns supporting it. Workers were planning to continue their inspection today.

As Kennedy drove his 18-wheeler, he apparently didn't turn his rig quickly enough as he approached the top of the ramp, where the road curves and begins a downward slope.

His tanker hit the passenger-side wall of the interstate and caught on fire, leaking diesel fuel. Then, it rolled across two lanes and exploded near the wall on the driver's side, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Kennedy of Zephyrhills died in the fire, authorities said.

Sheryl Williams and her husband were in a car just under the on-ramp when she heard a series of deafening booms. A blue ball of fire spiraled into the sky. Melted pieces of concrete fell on their car.

"It sounded like someone broke the sound barrier, but it was even louder," said Williams, a Dade City resident. "I thought it was a bomb."

'The scary part'

The scene shocked local residents. Kim Britner, who lives at 1961 Third Ave. N, a block from the west end of the city lot, said thick smoke drifted through her neighborhood.

"Not knowing was the scary part," she said.

Homeless people encamped at a tent city at Fourth Avenue N said they heard repeated explosions and saw flames protrude from the overpass about three blocks away.

Police and fire crews told residents to be prepared for an evacuation, said Patrick Williamson, 24.

"No way," Williamson said he told authorities. "I'm watching the fireworks show."

Some of the fiery diesel fuel flowed down I-375 like lava. Fireballs fell on a city lot just below the interstate, starting another blaze that destroyed 16 pieces of city equipment, including a street sweeper, causing $500,000 in damage. Some fuel seeped into the city's sewer system, causing explosions to launch manhole covers through the night.

Firefighters and police officers had to avoid melted hunks of concrete falling to the ground. The heat was so intense that it burned through a foot of concrete in some places, exposing the steel underneath.

Lt. Rick Feinberg of St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue said about nine firefighters had to walk up the on-ramp as fire poured down. As they inched forward, they turned on their hoses and fired water and foam at the flames. Other firefighters fought the blaze on the city lot below the interstate, where the burning diesel fell on stacks of tires. They used thousands of gallons of foam and water on the flames every minute.

A police officer suffered a mild concussion when the force of an explosion from one manhole knocked him off his feet.

It took 42 fire units and about 75 firefighters two hours and 18 minutes to put out the blazes.

The I-375 closure comes as the city is preparing for the Grand Prix this weekend, which draws thousands of spectators.

More than 11,000 vehicles travel along that stretch of I-375 every day, and there have been scattered accidents over the years. A motorcyclist died in 2001 after colliding into the wall and falling 20 feet to the ground.

The damaged span consists of five 87-foot-long concrete beams that are set side-by-side and covered with a concrete driving surface.

This surface contains a joint with an expandable sealant, to allow for road contraction and expansion in varying temperatures. During the accident, the burning diesel fuel seared through the sealant and poured down the columns that support the bridge, seriously damaging one column.

"The question remains how extensive the damage in one particular column is," said Pepe Garcia, a structures and facilities engineer with DOT.

A Nashville contractor, ICA, is preparing demolition plans and will hire companies to remove the damaged structures and rebuild them, Garcia said. He said it was too early for a timetable.

The situation does not affect drivers heading north on I-275. They can still turn onto I-375 going into downtown St. Pete.

Although Large, the fire chief, identified Kennedy as the driver of the tanker at a City Council meeting, Florida Highway Patrol investigators were waiting for medical examiners to confirm his identity. The flames incinerated the tanker and badly burned the body.

Kennedy has a clean driving record and worked for Penn Tank Lines, a large fuel distribution company based in Malvern, Pa. He had been with the company for about six years.

A company official declined to comment until the FHP officially identified Kennedy as the driver. The company's Web site says it has strict requirements for drivers, including making sure they have two years of all-season semitrailer truck experience and limited motor vehicle violations.

Long work shifts

Dorothy Kennedy, Ronald's wife, said her husband came home at 8:30 every morning after driving 16-hour shifts. She always made him bacon, eggs and grits.

She said her husband loved yard work and donated money to homeless missions and St. Jude's Children's Hospital. He liked to play his Fender Stratocaster guitar and was a fan of Garth Brooks and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The couple had been together 33 years and have one daughter, Megan Kennedy, 25.

She said Ronald liked the job, despite the long hours. Weeping, she blamed that grinding schedule for his wreck: "That might have to do most with what happened in the accident."

Times staff writer Casey Cora and researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or 727893-8472.

[Last modified March 29, 2007, 23:46:20]