Watch Out-of-Control MI Fuel Tanker Burst Into Flames

July 16, 2021
Troy firefighters battled the burning fuel tanker for more than two hours after the big rig crashed and overturned on Interstate 75.

Dash cam video has been released showing the moment a tanker truck loaded with 14,000-gallons of fuel crashed and exploded on Interstate 75 in Troy, Michigan.

It happened around 1:15 p.m. Monday on northbound I-75 and the driver survived, police said in a Facebook post. Troy is a suburb of Detroit.

The 10-second video shows the truck first veering into the path of an SUV, with both vehicles then ending up driving on the shoulder. The SUV slows and stops, while the truck continues drifting left into a concrete barrier, flipping on its side and sliding until it explodes.

Other drivers in northbound and southbound lanes are seen pulling to the side of the interstate as flames and black smoke spread and debris bounces across travel lanes.

The video has been viewed nearly 225,000 times since being posted, and prompted 600-plus comments.

“The tanker truck was on fire for over two hours and Troy Fire crews remained on scene for several more hours for cleanup,” officials said.

A photo posted Tuesday by the department shows the fire damaged pavement across all travel lanes and spread down the shoulder of the interstate and into a gully.

The identity of the 46-year-old driver, who is from Michigan, has not been released. He was hospitalized with minor injuries, the department said, while none of the drivers in nearby vehicles were hurt.

All lanes of Interstate 75 remained closed until Tuesday afternoon, when a far right lane of southbound Interstate 75 was reopened, the department said in an update. Efforts to reconstruct the center lanes and barrier walls are underway.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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