Truck Crashes Into Plane, Emergency Crews Cleaning Up Jet Fuel
A truck crashed into a cargo plane in Utah, sending hundreds of gallons of jet fuel splashing on the tarmac and shutting down a portion of the airport while crews cleaned up the spill.
The accident occurred just after 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening at the Salt Lake City International Airport and was the result of a truck striking the wing of a parked cargo plane. Investigators revealed that the impact was so severe that part of the plane's wing came through the truck's windshield, leaving the driver with several injuries.
The driver of the truck, whose name has not been released, was taken by ambulance to Intermountain Medical Center, but officials have yet to reveal the nature of his injuries he sustained when he crashed into the plane's wing.
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Barbara Gann, the spokeswoman for the airport, revealed that there were no other injuries reported and that the Salt Lake City Fire Department's hazardous materials crews were working to clean up the spilled jet fuel. No timetable has been released as to when the cleanup would be completed, however.
Authorities are currently investigating the accident to determine why the driver of the truck struck a stationary plane's wing. Initial reports indicate that the accident was thought to be the result of dense, low-lying fog that covered the Salt Lake Valley on Sunday night, but Gann stated that that had been ruled out as a contributing cause.
Gann did add that investigators were looking into whether or not drugs or alcohol where involved in the crash. She added that federal law requires that such testing occur only in accidents that produce a fatality.
However, given the nature of the accident and the fact that most trucking and transportation companies test employees at random, results of such tests could be ready in a few weeks, Gann said.
