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Fiery crash shuts down I-275
By LEANORA MINAI © St. Petersburg Times, published January 13, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- An Interstate 275 interchange exploded into chaos Friday when a car veered across a grass median and crashed into two vehicles headed in the opposite direction.
"If we hadn't have pulled her out in another minute or two, it would have easily engulfed her," said Bruno Burgos, 29, one of the men who pulled over to help. "The flames were taller than me, and I'm 5-feet-8," said Burgos, a lab technician at Tampa General Hospital. Another good Samaritan, Dave LeClair, downplayed his role.
"I had no choice," LeClair said. "It was the right thing to do." The driver, Julie A. Grabowski, 24, suffered a ruptured spleen and was taken to Bayfront Medical Center. Her injury was not life-threatening, said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Sterling King. Two other motorists also were injured in the accident, which happened at 12:42 p.m. on Interstate 275 at Gandy Boulevard. Their injuries were not critical. Traffic was at a standstill for an hour while emergency crews cleared the lanes. Grabowski, a St. Petersburg resident, was southbound when she lost control of her 1986 Toyota, state troopers said. Investigators say one of her tires might have blown out. She crossed three lanes of southbound traffic, then veered across the median into the northbound lanes. Her car collided head-on with a GMC truck driven by 36-year-old James F. Schubert, who was treated at the scene for minor injuries. Grabowski's car also hit a 1997 Plymouth driven by Janet T. Haley, 63, who suffered serious injuries and was being treated at Bayfront Medical Center.
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Moments before the burning car exploded, four men pulled the unconscious driver out through her window.
