SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A fuel tanker overturned on the Florida Turnpike and caused major traffic trouble for commuters in South Florida, as the highway’s lanes had to be shut down for hours.
The tanker overturned along the southbound lanes of the Turnpike near Bird Road, at around 6 a.m., Friday.
7SkyForce hovered over the scene where the driver of the tanker could be seen being loaded into a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue ambulance. A total of four vehicles were involved in the incident.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, approximately 8,500 gallons of fuel spilled onto the roadway, some of which also spilled into a nearby canal.
The driver of the fuel tanker was transported as a trauma alert to Kendall Regional Medical Center. None of the other drivers involved in the incident were hurt.
The north and southbound lanes of the Turnpike were shut down to traffic into the afternoon. At 4 p.m., the northbound lanes had reopened while the southbound lanes remained closed. Two southbound lanes have been reopened, but three lanes remain closed.
Earlier Friday afternoon, crews could be seen pumping fuel out of the overturned tanker and into a different fuel tanker.
Crews could also be seen on aerial footage repairing a section of highway damaged because of the spill.
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