Police say the tanker was headed north on Route 25 around 2:00 a.m. when it was hit head-on by a sport utility vehicle that crossed the center line. It burst into flames.
"A swish and a bang, that's all I heard," Marie LaValla, who lives in one of the nearby homes, told reporters.
Witnesses pulled the seriously hurt SUV driver from the burning vehicle. The tanker's driver had minor head injuries, according to police.
No names have been released.
The impact and the blast charred both the tanker and the SUV, and set neighboring lawns, trees and utility wires on fire. Residents in two nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.
The tanker carried more than 8,000 gallons of gasoline, but only several hundred gallons leaked into nearby yards and a catch basin. The rest apparently burned off.
The explosion and fire also knocked out power, cable and telephone service to much of the area.
