Gas truck rolls and explodes on U.S. 6

SPANISH FORK CANYON — A semitrailer truck hauling two tankers of gasoline rolled and exploded Monday on a narrow curve along U.S. 6, badly burning the driver and closing the highway for about 6 1/2 hours.

Speed was a factor in the accident, said Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Bruce Riches. It happened an estimated 25 feet from where a tanker carrying explosives rolled last year, blasting a 70-foot-wide crater into the highway.

"It's almost right on top of it," Riches said. "The west end of the crater is right by the east end of the wreckage (from Monday's accident.)"

The 39-year-old driver was taken by helicopter ambulance to University Hospital, where he was listed in extremely critical condition Monday night. The man was trapped in the cab of the burning truck and had to be extricated. He suffered first- to third-degree burns to more than 90 percent of body, officials said.

The semitrailer truck was hauling a load of fuel from Evanston, Wyo., to New Mexico. The truck was traveling east on U.S. 6 about 12:30 p.m. when it attempted to maneuver around a sharp, left-hand curve while going "way too fast," Riches said.

The truck rolled onto its right side, crashing through concrete barriers on the south side of the road and exploding, he said.

"We had a massive fireball," Riches said.

Crews were able to extinguish the blaze in about 30 minutes, he said.

Fire blackened the mountainside for about 200 feet along the stretch of U.S. 6 known as the Red Narrows, but Utah Department of Transportation officials said the accident didn't cause much damage to the highway.

The road was opened by 7 p.m. Monday, said Bethany Eller, a UDOT spokeswoman. Motorists should expect lane restrictions today, Wednesday and Thursday for repair work.

The accident prompted calls for increased driver safety from UDOT. Area residents said it illustrated a need to widen the road to four lanes.

U.S. 6, which runs 128 miles from Spanish Fork to I-70 past Price, has long been considered a death trap by residents. Its narrow curves and long stretches of two lanes make it difficult for motorists to pass or to judge their surroundings, said Rep. Brad King, D-Price.

Over the past eight years, UDOT has spent $115 million to improve the highway, adding passing lanes and expanding shoulder areas, among other things. The road does not have a higher-than-expected accident rate, according to UDOT deputy director Carlos Braceras, but high-profile crashes still happen on the road each year.