A Florida Highway Patrol trooper scrambled Thursday to the scene of an overturned military tanker truck on Interstate 75.
When the trooper arrived at Mile Marker 356, just south of County Road 326 in Marion County, he found the Florida National Guard tanker overturned on the eastern shoulder of the interstate. The crash, which happened just after noon, remains under investigation.
But the trooper’s preliminary investigation showed that several unknown vehicles may have cut the tanker off, forcing the driver to take evasive action by swerving onto the shoulder before overturning, a FHP report states.
During the recovery operation, all northbound lanes on I-75 were closed for approximately 90 minutes as a safety precaution. The tanker, which was transporting diesel fuel, was successfully recovered by the Florida National Guard and turned upright. And there was no fuel loss or punctures to the main tank during the crash or recovery effort, he report says.
Marion County Fire Rescue’s Hazmat Team was on scene assisting with the successful operation. The driver and passenger, both on-duty Florida Guardsmen, were transported from the scene with minor injuries to a nearby Ocala hospital.