An accident between three semi-trucks on Interstate 75 left a combination of fuel, mayonnaise, and margarine over a southbound stretch of the highway on Tuesday evening, resulting in lane closures for several hours.
The accident occurred near mile marker 351 in the southbound lanes of I-75 just after 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 4.
According to a statement from the Ocala Fire Rescue, the multi-vehicle accident involved a passenger vehicle and three semi-trucks.
Upon arrival, emergency personnel found that fuel and cargo had spilled onto the roadway, and an engine compartment on one of the trucks had caught fire.
The semi-trucks sustained heavy damage, with two of them showing heavy front and rear impacts, according to OFR.
In addition to the fuel on the roadway, mayonnaise and margarine from one of the truck’s also spilled on the roadway.
All three truck drivers were taken to the hospital for further medical attention. Two of the drivers were transported as trauma alerts, according to OFR.
“Despite the severity of the crash, there were no patients in the passenger vehicle, and no extrication was necessary,” reads the statement from OFR.
To mitigate the hazardous spill, fire crews set up a hazmat pool that contained approximately 75 gallons of fuel.
In total, OFR says its Engine 1 used around 200 gallons of water and 10 gallons of foam to cool the engine compartments of the damaged trucks. Additionally, Hazmat 1 used over 1,300 pounds of absorbent materials to manage the oil and fuel on the road.
After the crash, the clean-up efforts blocked traffic on all southbound lanes for several hours. Traffic was diverted at State Road 40 (Exit 352) until the debris was cleared from the highway.