November 6, 2008 Fuel spill shuts down highway for hours Play video

(NECN: Latoyia Edwards, Attleboro, Mass.) - A tanker truck filled with jet fuel rolled over on I-95 in Attleboro, Massachusetts this morning, shutting down the highway for hours. Three people were hurt and dozens of people were forced to evacuate their homes.

State police said the truck rolled after colliding with a car in the southbound lanes about 4:45 a.m. Thursday.

The truck driver was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, with serious injuries while the driver and a passenger in the car were taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro with minor injuries. No names were released.

The highway was closed in both directions, but some northbound lanes reopened about 6:30 a.m.

Senator Galluccio Responds to tanker crash in Attleboro:

"While we all realize that accidents happen on our roadways, I am deeply concerned to hear of yet another incident involving a fuel carrying tanker. In less than a year, there have been four serious accidents involving tanker trucks in the Commonwealth, beginning with the crash in Everett that released close to 9,500 gallons of fuel that ignited in a densely populated residential area. At the risk of sounding repetitive after another incident, this crash is yet another example of a lack of public protection to protect motorists and residents from the release of these very flammable and dangerous materials," said State Senator Anthony D. Galluccio, who represents the city of Everett.

"It is our responsibility to act immediately to force the oil and petroleum based carriers to improve safety precautions and reduce the incidence of these accidents and, more importantly, the release of these materials and the harm the release causes to both life and property. We are still learning the details of this latest accident, but my prayers are with the driver and his family and others that were injured. Drivers are the first folks affected by a lack of responsibility on the part of these carriers."

Senator Galluccio filed a number of pieces of legislation in the wake of the December, 2007 crash in Everett aimed at promoting the safe transportation of explosive and inflammable materials carried by tanker trucks.

(1) Senate bill 2837 (formerly SB2823 and SB2563) would impose strict liability for personal injuries and property damage arising from the commercial transportation of explosive and inflammable materials. The bill is intended to encourage across-the-board safety improvements by ensuring that these cargo carrying vehicles are safe, are driven by people with proven safety records, and are up to the highest safety standards.

The bill also:

• Increases from $200 to $500 the fine for vehicles exceeding the weight limit posted on a bridge.

• Establishes a new category of penalties for vehicles exceeding the weight limit posted on a bridge that are transporting explosive and flammable materials. The fine for a violation of this provision would be $1,000.

• Makes a violation of the weight restrictions a moving violation that will affect motor vehicle insurance premiums; and

• Establishes a new category of penalties for commercial motor vehicle drivers convicted of speeding while transporting explosive or inflammable materials. A first offense carries a fine of not more than $1,000, a second offense in a one year period results in a fine of not less than $1,000 or more than $2,000, and a third offense in a one year period results in a fine of not less than $2,000 or more than $3,000.

(2) Senate bill 2558 would prohibit commercial truck companies from engaging in conduct that encourages speeding and unsafe driving, including paying drivers based on the weight of cargo or the number of deliveries made or penalizing them for not accepting compensation based on the size of a load or number of deliveries made. When commercial truck drivers are paid according to how much cargo they transport or how many deliveries they make in a day, it creates an incentive for them to take short cuts through cities and towns, to speed, and to overload their vehicles.

(3) Senate bill 2522 would allow cities and towns to prohibit these tankers from traveling through traffic rotaries, provided the Mass. Highway Department gives approval. Through this local option, the bill helps to protect residents whose homes are in close proximity to rotaries.