ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A fiery crash involving a UPS semi tractor-trailer brought the morning commute to a crawl and spilled packages and fuel all over the road early Friday morning. The crash happened between Lee Road and Princeton Street and forced officials to close the westbound lanes of I-4 at Fairbanks Avenue.
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The UPS truck headed to Fort Myers jackknifed around 2:00 am and then caught fire. Two people were hurt in the incident, but only had minor injuries.
Traffic was flowing again on I-4 late Friday morning, but it was a mess for five hours earlier in the morning. The was fueled by a trailer full of UPS packages that ended up scattered all over the road. The packages came from the Jacksonville hub.
A UPS spokesperson said there were a variety of packages from all over the country.
The driver, 39-year-old Craig T. Roy, told the Florida Highway Patrol mechanical issues caused him to lose control, crash into the median and hit the driver of a Ford Edge. Roy, officers say, will likely be cited.
"He came along side of me and crushed me against the wall, so I was right next to him, and, like I said, he's got a tandem trailer, so he kind of dragged me along the wall until we both came to a stop," crash victim Michael Shaver said.
Shaver made it out the back window of his SUV with minor injuries and so did Roy and his passenger inside the semi. A doctor happened to pass by the crash and stopped to help.
"Lives need to be saved. I see fire, I'm going to stop," he told WFTV, later asking not to be identified. "I'm surprised he had minor scratches, which was quite impressive considering the vehicle was almost demolished."
It's hard to believe Roy made it out alive. Most of the fire damage was at the front end. The two trailers had significantly less damage.
Traffic was backed up for hours as crews cleaned up 75 gallons of diesel fuel and pieces to the semi.
A UPS spokesperson said a good portion of the packages were not damaged, but the packages in one trailer were a total loss. She said, since packages are tracked electronically, shippers were being notified by phone and the packages were re-sorted at the Orlando hub.
WFTV was told, if someone's package was damaged, the company will pay up to $100, which is standard. Anything more than that will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
The passenger in the semi and the driver of the SUV were treated at Florida Hospital and released. Craig T. Roy is from the Jacksonville area.
WFTV
