Driver still critical after tanker blast

The driver of the semitrailer truck hauling gasoline that rolled over and exploded Monday in Spanish Fork Canyon remained in critical condition Tuesday night, hospital officials said.

The Utah Highway Patrol has identified the driver as Todd Nicolson, 39, of Lupton, Ariz.

Nicolson suffered first- to third-degree burns over more than 90 percent of his body in the accident Monday afternoon on U.S. 6. He was taken by helicopter to University Hospital.

The semitrailer truck was pulling two tankers of fuel from Evanston, Wyo., to New Mexico about 12:30 p.m. when Nicolson took a sharp curve too fast, troopers said.

The truck rolled onto its right side, crashing through concrete barriers on the south side of the road and exploding. The accident closed the highway until 7 p.m. Monday.

On Tuesday, the Department of Transportation restricted traffic to one lane for repair work. Those restrictions will continue today.

The accident happened an estimated 25 feet from where a tanker carrying explosives rolled last year, blasting a 70-foot-wide crater into the highway.