(New York-WABC, December 2, 2004) -- An SUV was ripped apart by a tractor-trailer hauling barrels of chlorine this morning. The good news is there were no serious injuries. The bad: It happened on the Cross Bronx Expressway. Rescue and cleanup crews worked all the way through the night to help with the mess. Ken Rosato is in the Bronx with the latest.
To look at Cross Bronx Expressway, actually it looks lighter than it usually does on a morning like this. This was not the case earlier. In fact, overnight, it was hairy and very difficult time for emergency workers here.
It started around 11:00 p.m. last night. A tractor trailer apparently stopped short in traffic resulting in an SUV crashing into the back of the truck. The SUV was crushed but the driver was very fortunate and walked away with only minor bumps and bruises. The driver of the truck was not hurt.
However the truck was hauling chlorine in barrels, and it began to leak out of the back. That forced authorities to shut down the westbound Cross Bronx expressway over five hours. The eastbound side had long delays as well, with delays spilling back to the Major Deagan Expressway.
The good news, the spill has been contain and the truck moved off the express way. Traffic was back to normal early this morning.
Three firefighters and two police officers were exposed to a little bit too much chlorine. They were treated and released. The woman who was driving that SUV was taken to the hospital to be checked, but reportedly has only minor injuries.
