CHICAGO, IL : 1 killed after tanker carrying diesel fuel crashes on I-55 on Sunday, 14th July 2019

A tanker-trailer carrying 1,400 gallons of diesel crashed on the Stevenson early Sunday, killing the driver and spreading flaming fuel across the interstate on the Southwest Side.

Around 1:20 a.m. Sunday, a Mack truck was heading northbound on I-55 when the driver hit the concrete barrier wall north of Cicero, according to the Illinois State Police.

The truck exploded in the crash as the driver was ejected from the vehicle, and later declared dead by first responders. After it came to a rest, the truck hung partially over the edge of a bridge. Flaming fuel caught fire across the interstate, igniting a nearby taxi. That driver made it out safely, but was taken to McNeal Hospital in Berwyn after experiencing chest pain.

Chicago firefighters responding to the scene of the crash extinguished the fire, but it restarted and had to be put out again.

State inspectors examined the bridge and did not find any structural issues. Inbound lanes of the Stevenson were closed for hours as crews cleaned the scene, but all lanes were reopened as of 4:20 p.m. Sunday.

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