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Driver trapped 3 hours after tanker overturns
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - June 23, 2010)
Driver trapped 3 hours after tanker overturns
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
State and local officials were working this week to clean up a gasoline spill and reopen a busy road in Geauga County.
The work was in response to a crash involving a fuel tanker that had overturned on Ravenna Road (Route 44) in Newbury Township at about 1:30 p.m. June 19.
According to the Chardon post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, a 2007 Freightliner overturned as it was northbound on Ravenna Road, just north of Music Street. A tanker the truck was pulling was loaded with 8,500 gallons of gasoline.
Police said the driver, Anthony Ward, 52, of Garfield Heights, failed to negotiate a curve, lost control and overturned. Mr. Ward was transported from the scene by an emergency medical helicopter to Metrohealth Medical Center in Cleveland.
Police said an estimated 8,200 gallons of gasoline leaked from the tanker. Ravenna Road was closed at Kinsman Road (Route 87) and at Music Street. The closure, police said, was expected to remain in effect for several days.
Ken Folsom, deputy director for Geauga County's Department of Emergency Services, said he was on the scene within 30 minutes of the spill and remained until 6 a.m. the next day.
The truck, which overturned on top of a guardrail, had made rescue of the driver difficult. Officials feared that any movement of the truck on the guardrail could cause a spark and ignite the gasoline. Mr. Ward was freed from the truck about three hours after the crash.
Mr. Folsom said about three or four homes in the immediate area were evacuated as were some of the rental cabins at Punderson State Park. He said residents returned to their homes by Sunday night.
Mr. Folsom said the gasoline from the truck spilled into the outlet from Punderson Lake.
The Newbury Fire Department quickly was able to deploy booms and absorbents to contain the spill to the outlet area and keep it from migrating into the lake or downstream.
"Their efforts to control it were tremendous," Mr. Folsom said.
He said firefighters had to keep checking the vapor levels in the area to determine whether they were at explosive levels. He said work would progress and then stop as levels rose. He said firefighters used foam on the gasoline to reduce those levels.
Mr. Folsom said crews were working with absorbent pads and vacuum trucks to remove the remaining gasoline from the area.
Kurt Kollar, an emergency response coordinator with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, was also at the scene attempting to coordinate cleanup efforts and ensure the public's protection.
He said all but 250 gallons from the tanker leaked into the area. While there is a danger of explosion, he said, there is not a health concern from the fumes, which were readily apparent in the area.
Mr. Kollar said the cleanup is somewhat difficult because it has become trapped under vegetation and workers must contend with difficult footing in a "mucky" environment.
He said the high temperatures and wind are helping cleanup crews, because gasoline vaporizes and will dissipate over time.
He said representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are also assessing damage to state property, including the wildlife. He said some animals and "small pan fish" were killed by the spill, but the damage was "very limited."
Mr. Kollar said officials will continue to monitor the health of the wildlife in the area as well as downstream.
He said he fully anticipates that residents are safe at this time, but officials will continue to monitor the air quality of the area over the next few days.
He said the road had to be closed because officials dug out the impacted soils along the roadway, leaving it in less than a safe condition.
Mr. Kollar said he estimated that the main cleanup would continue through the week, although officials were hopeful the road would open by yesterday (June 24) morning.
He said a notice of violation will be going to Source One, the company that owns the tanker.
He said a fine is unlikely because the company will be responsible for all costs associated with the cleanup, including the cost of the Newbury Fire Department and state and county officials. Mr. Kollar said as long as the company is cooperative in the cleanup and pays those costs, the fine will not be likely because there was no criminal intent.
"Source One is the responsible party," he said. "They will be billing the costs, including mine, back to his company," Mr. Kollar said.
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