Crash damage may keep 91-710 freeway connector closed for days

An entrance to the 710 Freeway from the 91 Freeway in Long Beach may remain closed for a few days after Saturday’s fiery solo crash of a tanker truck carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline, authorities said today.

The truck was leaving the eastbound 91 to merge onto the northbound 710 [see map] at about 5:45 p.m. when it hit a guardrail, rolled onto its side and ignited in flames, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement.

The 51-year-old male driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released.

 “The intensity of the fire was such that all that remained of the truck were its axles and small portions of the cab,” Jackawa Jackson of the Long Beach Fire Department said in a statement.

Large chunks of concrete popped free from the roadway because of the heat, and structural engineers were called in to assess the damage, Jackson said.

As a result, the ramp to the northbound 710 from the eastbound 91 will be closed until further notice, along with one lane of the westbound 91 near the 710, CHP Officer Jennifer Connelly said. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident.

California Highway Patrol Officer David Porter advised drivers to look for alternate routes, particularly during rush hour.

“Hopefully folks can plan ahead and maybe utilize the 605 Freeway or the 110 if they have to go north out of the Long Beach area,” Porter said.

--Corina Knoll

Photo: Thomas McConville

Comments

[Jenn]

We were driving North on Long Beach Blvd and saw the smoke. We got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for about 2 hours because the cops were diverting all the traffic off of the 91 Fwy onto LB Blvd. It amazes me how rude and insensitive drivers can be....obviously there was something major and tragic going on and none of us were getting anywhere fast. Honking and driving recklessly are NOT going to make the situation any easier! Good job to the officers and firefighters who dealt with this....and God bless the man who lost his life in this accident.

[Kyle Ballard]

The law should prohibit gasoline tankers from going up in the air. This is not the first gasoline tanker to go up in the air and come down in flames. They should be forced to go to ground level ramps to join or change freeways. The 710 still shows shoulder to shoulder 1/4 acre scars from a ground level tanker fire from 30 years ago between the 405 and 91.

[betty]

I am so sad about this, God Bless the truck driver and his family. My dad is a truck driver and it is a always nerve racking to learn about these accidents.

[bkl]

Jenn:

Why do you ask God the bless the man who caused thousands to lose 2 hours of their lives, and for what? He drove recklessly just to get to his destination sooner. How is he better than those you complain about? At least they weren't carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline. Perhaps he should have thought about all this before trying to go too fast through the connector.

[james]

I drive aproxx. 350 miles a week on the freeways in So. CA.
I Rarely see anyone that is obeying the speed limit or any other rules of the road. Things like this would not happen if they were. We need to thank God that this lawbreaking trash didn't kill anyone else!

[m8rt]

bkl

People say "God Bless the truck driver" because they have empathy.
I would not say it because I don't share their mythology.
I would say something like, "That is so sad."
You on the other hand would pragmatically add up the man hours lost. We all have our own way of dealing with a crisis.
None of us can know what happened in the cab of that truck.
There will be no autopsy.
You probably think of yourself as a kind loving person.
But you slipped a little today.

[Rocco]

Holy WOW! We have had similar but far less dramatic events like this at the tanker farm offramp on the 15 near Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
Even with baffles, that much liquid is still going to slosh a bit and you need to use less speed than any other truck would need to.
Feel bad for the driver, but if he was being careless, at least he didn't take anyone else with him.

RIP. Everybody else PLEASE slow down ! !

[123456789]

i saw that fire start... i was going through that blind underpass when i saw the tanker flipped. it was on its side and starting to burn up. i thought i could make it through but the fire started ro circle me and close off the other side, as well as teh cab was blocking the other lane. luckily, i was able to back out in time for the fire to not kill me and i made it out safely... scariest thign ever...

[Anne]

My husband and I were going East on 91 and came into backed up traffic. We were stuck about 2.5 hours. I am very sorry that the driver was killed and for the damage and delay caused everyone in the vicinity. I was also upset that the CHP did not let folks know what was happening. Three officers stood around talking and did not choose to help with getting folks off the roadway. We were merged from five lanes to one to exit at Atlantic Blvd only because of lanes blocked with flashing arrows. Fortunately, we could figure out an alternate route but for many folks they were lost and confused.

[Stephanie]

My husband is a tanker driver. This is my worst fear each and every time he goes to work. People talk about the tanker driver and his driving. You all forget about the people that see these trucks and cut them off. They are carrying 8,000 - 9,000 gallons of gas at any one time. They can not stop on a dime. This is a shame. A man lost his life. This is a very dangerous job. My heart goes out to him and his family. Let's see what the final review of this accident turns up before you pass judgement on a driver that may have not made any mistake.

[jk]

Amazing what i read here. I am a former fuel tanker driver. First to the people who criticize the dead driver A) you were not there so you should not speculate about his improper behavior. B) you probably do not have a class A driver license with tanker endorsement, double and hazmat endorsements, you probably do not know what they are and I would like to see you drive a tanker for 100 yards and even make it that far. C) as a tanker driver, i have seen plenty of confused souls follow me within 10 feet at 55 miles an hour, people cut right in front of me.....with no clue they are messing with a bomb on wheels....although the flammable decal is right in their face. Tanker driving is a very dangerous job and before you pick at these folks, how about you get just as a passenger, not even driving it, on one of those trucks and that should serve to humble you for a while.

That driver may have gone as much as one or two miles an hour too fast. If he did hit something, then when he corrected, may have been enough to move the center of gravity just over enough such that once too much weight is on the side rather than centered, the tanker will turn over, and that aluminum skin that you may think is 2 inches thick, is actually 1/4 inch thick and with impact, it will tear open and if there is as much as one spark, the whole thing blows up.

Before you pick at a tanker driver, how about getting your class A, tanker, hazmat, double endorsements, go get a job and see if you can pass the mustard and then if you hang in there even 6 months, come back here and reread yourself. You have no clue what you are talking about and if i had you on my tanker, once we took off you would probably turn sheet white when you realize there is 60,000 pounds of fuel about 5 feet from the rear of your neck and you likely would ask me to stop and let you off........i dare you, get on board of one of those.

[Anna]

We don't know that the truck driver was driving recklessly, he may have had a heart attack.

[alex]

jenn. are you kidding me? yes it was his fault for going over the speed limit and we are very lucky that no one else was hurt. but its not like he was thinking" im going to speed and get where i need to be faster at everyones risk". he was just a man who was driving and an accident happened and now there is a family thats enitre life is going to be hard now. would you say the same thing of your father "oh well that trash was speeding?" he was a man who just wanted to live and you dare defile it. what kind of person are you i wonder. you just have no care, u fail to realize that someone out there is suffering. i feel pity for you, i hope you can see the error in your comment.

[Adam Novicki]

I agree with Alex. Heartless comments from bkl (not jenn).
As I write this comment, I am reminded that websites should require people use their real names, not for any retribution, but if only to add a reality check to their inhumane anonymous rants.

If some people actually said these comments at a real water cooler as opposed to the virtual one here, their fellows would recoil in horror at their insensitivity.

[Ryan]

We don't know the circumstances of why and how he lost control of the truck. Perhaps he was speeding, maybe he was inattentive or possibly he was cut off or had a medical emergency (bets are good that an autopsy will be inconclusive). We don't know. Even if the accident was due to negligence on his part, I'm still sympathetic. He paid for his error with his life, everyone else was merely inconvenienced. I'd rather be stuck in traffic than stuck in that cab while the load went up, how about you?

[aw]

Yo Alex, I think you meant to call out James not Jenn; she's all good.

James' comments are over-the-line especially since he apparently makes his living using the road. He needs to take a chill pill and realize that we all live together in this world.

James sounds like that guy who did a brake check on the bicyclists. I foresee jail time for him.

I'm not a trucker, but I agree with JK: if the haters drove even one minute behind the wheel of a tanker they would be most humble.

How would you like to deliver gas to the 76 on Arlington at the 10? Good luck!

Driving is a cooperative activity.
1. Stop for pedestrians.
2. Let a fellow driver change lanes.
3. Don't stress!

#3 is super important. The easy way to accomplish it is to give yourself plenty of time, maybe 10 minutes extra.

Proven fact: Driving aggressively may gain only 1 minute in a half-hour drive.

Like it says on the bus: It's better to lose a minute of your life than to lose your life in 1 minute.

[Mario]

Slot of you have no idea how ignorant your are when you are driving. With no concern or care for truck drivers. Ihave been driving heavy equipment for 14 years. On the average a truck driver gets cut off atleast 20 times a day in so cal. You know thatbig gap we leave in front of us and all you ignorant yahoos who are in such a hurry to squeeze in to pass a couple of cars. That is our safety zone but you guys look at it like oh great I can get in front of him and get that much farther. Don't blame the truck driver because he is driving a truck. Like someone else said above I want to see you drive these trucks your quick to blame and criticize put yourself in there spot then talk to me.

And for all of you who are compllaining about losing a couple of hours in traffic, someone lost their life. Trying to deliver a product you cannot live without and your complaining about traffic. You a loser with no heart.

That's why regular vehicles should not go into truck routes but guess what truck routes are congested with regular cars not trucks. Because they can save a couple of minutes. I know alot of the local CHP truck inspectors and for every 10 accidents that happen in truck routes 9 are caused by regular automobiles zig zagging in and out of trucks or slamming the brakes in front of a truck when they panic on the truck route.

I'm done with this. You people will never learn.
My condolences for the family.

[Michael Seebeck]

I drive over 500 miles a week and I go through that interchange twice a day.

Fact is, for now we don't know why the driver lost it there, and to speculate it was bad driving on his part is just insane.

The worst part of this is that a man died and probably a family is shattered. The next worse thing is that this will screw up the commute for a while.

But perhaps people can learn from this once more is determined. In any case, people do need to slow down and show some courtesy on the road, including not trying to take everyone else's fenders off.

[Sue in Los Angeles]

Mario, we're with ya. We drive out to the desert all the time with very large horse trailer, and are amazed at the idiots who regularly cut us off and otherwise drive like total jerks. It's the truck drivers who are courteous, not the dummies in the passenger vehicles.

[Cheri Bufford]

My deepest thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the person killed in this tradgic accident. May God bless you and keep.

[Shelly]

First of all, Jenn wasn't criticizing the truck driver, people! she was criticizing the nitwit morons stuck in the ensuing traffic jam and acting like jerks - somewhat understandable but still moronic! Anyway, so sad that tragedies like this have to happen! And, 8K gallons?? good lord! a small fortune these days!! and a life... very sad! just fortunate it wasn't worse... it'll be a wonderful day when we can live w/out petroleum products once and for all!!

[sherry]

Would like to send my prayers to the family. May God bless you at this time.
I drove tankers for about 5 years. I was also married to a tanker driver. I always worried about my husband especially driving the night shift, I drove days. I am not sure which is worse. I agree with JK. Ride along, feel what it is like when the load starts rocking and crazy people cut you off.
We do not know what happened, and will probably never know. I have lost several friends that have driven tankers, all due to different circumstances.
Once again, My prayers to the family.

sd

[just an opinion]

I always allow truckers a lot of room, and understand why they have to drive extra cautious. On the other hand, regular drivers who drive like that pose a hazard. I don't know how many times i've seen drivers putting along in their own world while shadowing a trucks blind spot. Speed doesn't really mean danger IF you are paying attention to what you are doing and paying attention to what is going on around you. Going slow does not automatically mean you are a safe driver. Sometimes you need to get out of the way.

[Luis perez]

I think DMV should look into unsafe drivers I'm sad people blame this driver no one stop to think that maybe another recles driver got in front of him God blees driver and family

[Billy N DeCarpio]

My prayers go out to the family of the driver, met the driver here and ther at the loading racks. I was stun to here the bad news. But again i have lost several freinds in this business. I like to comment : only he knows exatctly what happen. I had my on close calls do to others, But we have to keep in mind. You can replace anything But you "cant Replace life". again my prayers for his family & friends. BNC.