CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Clearwater Police Department and Clearwater Fire & Rescue are on scene of a crash Friday night involving a gasoline tanker that overturned.
According to Clearwater Police Department Public Information Officer Rob Shaw, a tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline overturned just before 8:30 p.m. while trying to make a U-turn. The truck ended up on its side in the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 19.
The tanker then started to leak gasoline onto the roadway, which Shaw said was a problem with the possibility of it getting into the storm drains.
But he says, as of now, none of the gas has made it into the storm drains and crews were able to stop the leak.
A miniature golf course and a nearby hotel were evacuated as a precaution. But the PIO reassured the public that there are no worries about an explosion.
Drivers should plan to avoid the southbound access road south of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard while crews work to drain the truck and put it upright to move it. The road won't be reopened for several hours.
The 47-year-old driver of the tanker was taken to the emergency room for treatment with only minor injuries, Shaw explains.