On May 9, 2013, motorists were stunned when a fireball exploded over Interstate-81 in Susquehanna Twp.
That morning, a diesel fuel tanker truck overturned on the northbound ramp to Route 322 west and exploded in flames.
Traffic was paralyzed for hours as commuters tried to get work. Some never did – they turned back and went home. Some made it, hours late.
The accident closed parts of Interstate-81 for four days and the ramp for seven months – along with the ramp above it - because they had to be demolished and replaced.
The accident also caused environmental damage when 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked into Paxton Creek and Wildwood Lake.
The Patriot-News reported that Pennsylvania Game Commission officers found 11 birds drenched in polluted water. All of the birds, ducks and geese, died. About 10 acres of Wildwood Park were affected by the fuel leak. Game Commission officers worked to protect the wildlife while hazmat teams place booms to collect the oil.
The cost of the repairs was $12,434,537.
At the time, state Secretary of Transportation Barry Schock said, “There could not have been a worse spot for this to occur.”
The Patriot-News reported, “The searing heat of the first diesel fuel explosion not only warped metal guardrails but also incinerated portions of 22/322′s deck - by converting liquid in the cement to steam, prompting smaller subsequent explosions - and severely weakened its metal substructure, said Schoch, who’s been an engineer for 28 years.”
The truck was owned by Tameric Enterprises of Carlisle.
The driver, Thomas Uecker, 55, of Dover, who reportedly escaped the accident with minor burns, pleaded guilty in July 2014 to three summary charges of disregarding traffic lanes, driving at a safe speed and accidents/overturned vehicles. He paid fines and costs totaling about $800, court records state.
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‘There could not have been a worse spot’: The 2013 fuel tanker fire over I-81 - PennLive
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