A 55-gallon drum of oil burst inside of a truck as it drove onto Florida’s Turnpike in Tamarac Wednesday, the slick from the spill causing one driver to roll over. Officials are advising drivers to avoid the area for at least the next hour as they try to mop up the oil.
The rupture occurred as the box truck was driving northbound on the on-ramp at Commercial Boulevard about 11 a.m., according to Van Schoen, a spokesperson for Tamarac Fire Rescue. The oil began to spill out of the back of the truck and onto both the ramp and the turnpike.
A man driving by hit the oil slick, lost control of his car, and rolled over, Schoen said. He was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
As of 1 p.m., the ramp remains closed as two hazmat units work to mop up the oil, Schoen said. The Florida Department of Transportation will also send people to drop sand to clean up the ramp. The ramp will remain closed “until it’s safe,” Schoen said.
“People should try to avoid the area for at least the next hour or so, I would say,” he added. “It’s going to take some time.”
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