Roads reopen after gasoline cleanup

By Times Staff Writer
Published November 25, 2007

TAMPA   

Roads are clear again after a tanker truck overturned near 22nd Street and Maritime Boulevard, releasing nearly 8,000 gallons of gasoline into a retention pond near the Port of Tampa on Friday, Tampa Fire Rescue said.

While a full environmental cleanup will take more time, roads that were shut most of Friday were open again Saturday morning, a Fire Rescue spokeswoman said.

The tanker from Florida Rock & Tank Lines was leaving the port shortly after noon Friday when it flipped onto its side.

The driver, Oliver Pina, 35, of Lakeland, was taken to Tampa General Hospital with minor injuries. He will be cited for driving too fast for conditions, authorities said.

Both the bridge and 22nd Street remained closed for most of the rest of the day as workers rushed to contain the spill and keep the gasoline from draining into McKay Bay. Tampa Fire Rescue plans to bill the trucking company for the cost of the cleanup.

CLEARWATER

24-year-old charged in fatal car crash

A 24-year-old Clearwater man has been charged with vehicular homicide in connection with a Nov. 5 crash that left a woman dead, authorities said on Saturday.

Before the wreck, James Fancher had been speeding north on McMullen-Booth Road and changing lanes rapidly, an arrest report states. Then he ran a red light at Ruth Eckerd Hall Drive, striking a Toyota sport utility vehicle driven by Nick Nolletti, 57, the report states.

Nolletti's passenger, Jennifer Nolletti, 26, of Dunedin, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. Fancher was arrested late Friday and was being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail. Beside the driving offense, jail records indicate that he faces an unrelated charge of dealing in stolen property in Manatee County.

[Last modified November 24, 2007, 23:38:54]