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Crash creates an inferno
By TAMARA LUSH, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- The gasoline truck driver walked away with a $90 careless driving ticket. He left behind him a spectacular rush-hour mess Friday evening: Traffic was snarled at one of Tampa's busiest highway intersections for hours as the 8,700 gallons of gasoline in John Hopkins' truck burned. Thousands of homebound commuters were caught in a gridlock that soon spilled over the Howard Frankland Bridge and Courtney Campbell Parkway into Pinellas.
Among the drivers who saw the towering black plume rise near the airport, there was a common reaction at first. Had a plane crashed -- or was it something even worse? "I thought terrorists," said Enzo Ramos, 23. "I watch CNN every day." Ramos was driving to pick up his paycheck at the Chase credit card company on Independence Drive, talking on the phone to a friend in New York. It was 4:08 p.m. He heard an explosion, and looked toward the Veterans Expressway. He pulled over and ran toward the flames, hoping to help. But the intense heat drove him back.
Amid all of this, Hopkins, 47, climbed out of his truck, which had come to rest on its side, against a concrete wall. Miraculously, no other motorists were hurt during the crash or the explosion. Hopkins had been heading northwest onto Independence Parkway when the crash occurred. Tampa police said Hopkins was was driving too fast, about 40 mph in a 25 zone, when he entered the sharp 90-degree turn under the Veterans overpass. Dozens of firefighters raced to the scene, spraying water and foam to contain the flames, which soared over the sides of the overpass. For commuters, the situation quickly became a nightmare. Nearby roads from State Road 60 all the way to Hillsborough Avenue were shut down. The traffic backup on the Howard Frankland Bridge and Courtney Campbell Parkway caused traffic jams in Pinellas on the Bayside Bridge, on Roosevelt Boulevard and on Ulmerton Road, police said. The main north-south runway at Tampa International Airport, which carries at least 80 percent of the airline traffic, runs along Eisenhower Boulevard and had to be closed because of smoke. The traffic was shifted to TIA's other north-south runway farther away, said airport spokeswoman Kelly Figley. TIA's switchboard was swamped by people calling to see if a plane had crashed or the airport was on fire. Hopkins, of 4501 Sundown Lane, Tampa, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital for evaluation and was released later Friday. A hospital spokeswoman said Hopkins was shaken up and didn't want to talk to reporters. His employer, McKenzie Tank Lines Inc., of Tampa, also declined to speak. Hopkins has been cited twice previously for speeding, once in 1999 in Highlands County and once in 1996 in Polk County, driving records indicate. In 1993, he was cited for failing to obey a traffic sign in Palm Beach County. On all three citations, a judge withheld a formal finding of guilt. Department of Transportation employees worked into the night to determine the damage on the Veterans Expressway. According to DOT spokeswoman Marian Pscion, all eight of the overpass' beams are damaged, three severely. The fire was so hot that it essentially melted the concrete in places and weakened the steel rods that provide the strength within the beams. Late Friday, the Veterans Expressway remained closed to both north and southbound traffic south of Hillsborough Avenue. The entrance to Independence Parkway from the Eisenhower Boulevard/Veterans Expressway area also was closed. Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin credited Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Tampa Fire Rescue, Airport Fire, along with the Sheriff's Office and the Florida Highway Patrol, with a quick response that kept the situation from becoming worse. "They prevented this from becoming a catastrophe," said Durkin. - Times staff writers Mike Brassfield and Jean Heller and researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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Headlines From the Times local news desks |
It may be days, if not weeks, before two vital roads are open again to motorists. The gasoline truck overturned on the northbound lanes of Independence Parkway, right under an overpass carrying the southbound lanes of the Veterans Expressway. The intense fire charred the overpass, severely damaging three of its eight beams and causing chunks of concrete to fall. Department of Transportation employees will evaluate the damage to the two roads today. Incoming planes at Tampa International Airport were rerouted to a runway farther from the fire because of the heavy smoke.
