Driver cited in I-95 crash with spilled racing fuel

Four vehicles were involved in a crash with a tanker truck spilled a large quantity of racing fuel, nearly closing southbound I-95 near Stanton at the height of Wednesday morning’s rush hour.

Two drivers were injured and uncounted thousands of commuters delayed as the crash just after 8 a.m. created massive jams on the interstate, with all but one southbound lane closed for about two hours.

The crash also created delays on the other side of the interstate and nearby roads as motorists tried to evade delays one driver said kept her at a standstill for about 45 minutes, before she began to creep along in spurts – at about 5 mph.



No environmental damage or risk was reported from the spill of the racing fuel, although authorities could not say how much leaked from the damaged tanker. In radio broadcasts shortly after the crash, however, emergency personnel said were dealing with a spill of “hundreds of gallons.”

State police say the massive incident began with a driver’s unsafe lane change, for which he later was ticketed.

Gerald Nichols, 24, of Wilmington, was driving a Ford Transit in the right lane when he started to move left, but failed to see the next lane was occupied by a Chrysler Town & Country van driven by Shawn R. Johns, 51, of Wilmington, said Master Cpl. Jeffrey R. Hale.

Nichols’ vehicle hit the side of the van, forcing it into the center lane, where it hit the valves on the underside of the fuel tanker truck, driven by Turon McManus, 30, of Wilmington, Hale said.

The van then went back to the right-center lane, where it hit a Toyota Sequoia, driven by Loretta Consiglio-Ward, 50, of Wilmington, he said.

The tanker truck stopped on the right shoulder about a quarter-mile after the crash, Hale said.

Officials of the BRT company of Parkesburg, Pennsylvania, which had its logos on the tanker truck, told The News Journal they had no information about the crash and were not authorized to discuss the tanker’s cargo and destination.

The fuel remaining in the truck was transferred to another tanker, Hale said.

Crews from the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control assisted in the fuel clean-up at the crash site, where crews from several fire companies responded.

Johns and Nichols – the drivers in the initial lane-change collision – were taken by emergency medical services to Christiana Hospital for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening, Hale said. Both were using seat belts at the time of the crash, he said. The other drivers were not hurt.

Further complicating morning rush hour traffic were multiple minor crashes reported on the interstate about the same time as the one involving the tanker. Those crashes were on both sides of the highway, between Del. 141 and Del. 7, dispatch personnel said.

Contact robin brown at (302) 324-2856 or rbrown@delawareonline.com. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @rbrowndelaware.