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Semi crash kills one, snarls road
By MATTHEW WAITE
© St. Petersburg Times, PORT RICHEY -- A gasoline tanker truck swerved back and forth across U.S. 19 and hit three cars and another semitrailer truck Wednesday, killing a 69-year-old man and closing U.S. 19 for eight hours. The tanker first swerved into a black Nissan Ultima, according to the Port Richey police and witnesses. "I hit the windshield and then I don't know what happened," said Daniel Lambertson, 45, of Port Richey. He remained in his seat and regained control of his car. In the next seconds, while Lambertson's car was skidding to a stop, the semi careened back across U.S. 19 and hit two more cars before smashing nearly head-on into another semi.
In a cloud of smoke and diesel fumes, the crash ended at U.S. 19 and Pasco Way only seconds after it started. After striking the driver's side of Lambertson's car less than a quarter of a mile south of Ridge Road, the rig, driven by Pablo Rodrique, overcorrected and swerved into the inside lane. Bene Simpson, 25, was in that lane. One of the wheels of the semi burned a circle of black rubber into her passenger side door and shook the Mitsubishi Eclipse so violently that it threw her against the driver's side door, injuring her shoulder. Simpson slowed down, her tires on the median, and the truck barreled over the median in front of herand into the northbound lanes. "He could have ran right over me," she said, her armed wrapped in a bandage after the accident.
The truck continued out of control, bowling over the median and smashing broadside into a 1998 Buick LeSabre. The driver, Caffrey, was killed instantly, while his wife, Mary, received only minor injuries as the car spun away from the collision. But the truck was still going. Northbound on U.S. 19, James E. Hampton, 26, was driving a semi filled with garbage to Hudson. Into his citizens band radio, he exclaimed "Oh s---" and was hit nearly head-on by the runaway truck. The collision with the garbage truck caused Rodrique's truck to nearly jack-knife, and cracked a rig-mounted gas tank on one of the trucks, spilling diesel onto the pavement. The fuel trickled into a storm drain, where Port Richey public works employees would later seal it, keeping it from flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Along U.S. 19, Scott Ledbetter and Valerie O'Neil, both of Port Richey, were opening Val's Tint Shop, and David Griffin was opening the doors at Kit Cellular for the day's business. Behind them, they heard what they thought was an explosion. The three ran to the accident scene, where an unidentified off-duty Pasco County Fire Rescue paramedic was helping Mary Caffrey from the car. "Somebody needs to help my husband," the three said they heard Mary Caffrey call out. "He's hurt bad." Ledbetter said he then heard the paramedic tell Caffrey that her husband was gone. Rodrique was taken to North Bay Hospital in New Port Richey and his condition was unavailable Wednesday night. Hampton was taken by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg and was in fair condition. The other accident victims were treated at area hospitals for minor injuries. The wreck forced emergency crews to shut down the highway for most of the day, rerouting lunch hour traffic and later, commuters headed home during the afternoon rush hour. Officials reopened the road at 6:15 p.m. Simpson, who moved to Florida three weeks ago, said she's lucky to be alive. As for driving on U.S. 19, she says she's through. "There's too much traffic." - Staff writer Matthew Waite can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6247 or (800) 333-7505, ext. 6247. His e-mail address is waite@sptimes.com.
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From today's Pasco Times |
The 9:50 a.m. wreck killed Richard Caffrey of Holiday and sent diesel fuel into a storm drain. Traffic -- estimated to be more than 60,000 cars per day by state transportation officials -- that would normally pass down U.S. 19 was routed onto Port Richey and New Port Richey sidestreets, stalling commuters and jamming up normally peaceful roads.
