Thorndale tanker tumble

THORNDALE—Thorndale stood at the brink of what might have been a major disaster before dawn Thursday as a tanker truck loaded with fuel skidded onto its side, then was struck by a pickup.

The crash resulted in a massive cleanup and shut down US 79 for about 14 hours. But there was no fire, no explosion and not even any serious injuries.

“The drivers and our town were very fortunate,” Thorndale Police Chief Mark Birchard told The Reporter.

CRASH—Birchard said as eastbound tanker rig, driven by Antonio Sutton, 45, of Killeen rolled just before 1 a.m. on US 79 near the intersection with Berry Street, inside the Thorndale City limits.

A pickup operated by 17-year-old Ariana Anders of Thorndale then slammed into the tanker’s rear wheels.

“The accident happened at a very dark location,” Birchard said.

Amazingly, neither driver sustained serious injuries, according to Thorndale police.

“Mr. Sutton had a wrist injury,” Birchard said. “Miss Anders, of course, was pretty shaken up.”

Birchard said Sutton was able to get out of the cab and was standing by the rig when police arrived.

Birchard told The Reporter Monday morning that the initial investigation was not complete but that police did not have any suspicions about the crash “No alcohol, nothing like that,” he said.

CLEANUP—The situation—with the tanker across all five lanes of US 79— left the city, county and state with a massive problem.

With the highway closed in both directions, law enforcement agencies of all kinds were called in to re-route traffic around the Thorndale area.

The heaviest of heavy equipment was called in to lift then move the tanker.

By the time that massive job was completed the highway, a major northeast-southwest route across Texas, was shut down about 14 hours.

It re-opened just after 3 p.m.

DELIVERY—Birchard said the tanker was headedto Rockdale to make deliveries and was hauling gasoline and diesel.

Birchard said between 3,500 to 3,600 gallons leaked into the surrounding soil and cleanup will be extensive and involve a number of organizations.

“The fuel will have to be recaptured out of the soil and it will need to be hauled away and examined,” he said.

“Some possibly went into the city water system and I’m sure the Environmental Protection Agency will get involved at some point,” he said.

Even the highway itself will be examined.

“US 79 had just been re-topped through town and the fuel ate through some of that,” Birchard said.

CLOSURES—The chief said motorists should expect lane closures in upcoming days, perhaps weeks.

“The DPS Waco office is doing a complete follow-up investigation,” he said. “Hopefully it won’t be too inconvenient for drivers.”

Speaking of inconvenience, Birchard is proud of the way Thorndale responded to the challenge of having part of the heart of their town being used as a detour on Thursday.

“There was some heavy traffic on Thorndale streets for several hours,” he said. “But our residents handled it well.”

HELP—“There’s no way I can express our appreciation for all the agencies and individuals who helped us out,” Birchard said.

The chief said a partial list would include Milam County Precinct 4, TxDOT’s Cameron office, Milam County Emergency Management, Milam County Sheriff’s Department, Pct. 4 Constable and the Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department.

Primary agencies responding were Thorndale Police and the Thorndale Volunteer Fire Department.

“It was a day Thorndale won’t ever forget,” Birchard said. “It could have been so much worse than it was.”