Tanker Driver Dies in Expressway Plunge

A gasoline tank truck crashed through a freeway guardrail and plunged 40 feet onto a parking lot Friday, bursting into flame and setting off explosions. The driver was killed.

At least six vehicles in the county employees’ parking lot were damaged, including some that were crushed and burned, said Deputy Fire Chief Dan Gengler. The tanker was equipped to carry 5,000 gallons, authorities said.

Tires on cars parked in the lot exploded from the heat and gasoline from the truck spilled into the city sewer system, causing two explosions, one about 200 yards away.

“We heard quite a few loud booms,” Gengler said. “For a while it sounded like a battlefield.”

Most of the gasoline in the sewers evaporated through grates and did not pose a threat to people near the site, Gengler said.

The fire sent thick clouds of black smoke over downtown.

The tanker fell from what is known as the Marquette Interchange, which connects Interstates 94, 43 and 794 near Marquette University, just west of downtown, said police Lt. Dennis Drazkowski.

Authorities said the driver may have been driving too fast around a curve when the vehicle hit the guardrail.

Traffic was snarled for miles as all roads leading into the expressway were immediately closed. Most roads were opened by early afternoon, the Milwaukee County sheriff’s department said.

Authorities said the truck skidded several feet before exploding and the driver’s body was thrown out. However, the body was burned to an extent that the identity and gender could not be immediately determined, Gengler said.