Published: June 22, 2007 11:21 pm      

Fatal accident closes I-75

BEREA — A Tennessee man was killed early Friday morning in a head-on collision on Interstate 75 near Berea, shutting down the three southbound lanes for more than 18 hours because of a sulfur liquid spill.

After the left front tire of a northbound tanker truck carrying the sulfur mix blew out around 2:50 a.m., the driver lost control and struck the concrete barrier separating the northbound and southbound lanes just south of Exit 76.

The impact caused the tanker to go airborne and cross over into the southbound lanes, slamming head-on into a double UPS tractor trailer driven by Johnny L. Dopp, 35, of Jacksboro, Tenn., who was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy was conducted Friday in Frankfort, where it was determined that he died from multiple injuries. Dopp’s family was notified just before 8 a.m., according to Berea Police Department Capt. Ken Clark.

The tanker was filled with about 4,000 gallons of liquid containing 70 percent sulfur and 30 percent of a water-based farm application product, said Carl Richards, director of Madison County’s Emergency Management Agency, which cleaned up the spill.

The tanker portion of the truck was ripped apart by the concrete barrier before skidding about 200 feet along the southbound lanes and striking the UPS tractor trailer. The driver of the tanker, Arthur L. Mays, 54, of Blakely, Ga., was not injured.

“There was almost nothing left in the tanker,” Richards said. “It leaked almost all of its contents. Only a negligible amount was left.” Officials removed the cab of the UPS truck about 7 a.m.

“The back trailer was completely empty,” Richards said. “There was only cargo in the front part of the truck.”

No other vehicles were involved with the crash, Clark said, but there were several smaller accidents among the backed-up southbound traffic trying to get off the interstate at Berea’s Exit 76 and 77 while workers were busy cleaning up the sulfur mix. The cleanup began about 8 a.m.

“We’ve got six to eight officers out working traffic,” Clark said Friday. “Then we also have some other officers working while, with all this traffic right now, we’re having to deal with fender-benders, motorist assists, also. The traffic is getting to all of them.”

The Kentucky State Police, state vehicle enforcement and the Madison County Sheriff’s Department also were on the scene for support, Richards said.

About 10:30 a.m., southbound traffic near Exit 76 was backed up for about one and a half miles and for three miles on the north side near exit 77. Ironically, within that traffic, was another double UPS tractor trailer.

The northbound lanes of I-75 were closed for a short time after the accident to allow emergency vehicles to get to the scene.

At 7 p.m., southbound I-75 traffic was backed up to Exit 104 in Lexington, said a motorist who reached Richmond later in the evening.

All three lanes of the southbound interstate were not opened until 9:33 p.m. It took another 45 mintues to get traffic flowing.

Southbound traffic in Berea was bumper-to-bumper throughout the day and late into the evening.

Although the harsh smell of sulfur floated across the interstate, Clark said, the spill was contained and posed no threat to the public. He said the smell was similar to that just after striking a match.

The four members of the crew involved in the cleanup initially wore protective gear, Richards said, but later cut back to boots, gloves and coveralls.

The coveralls, made with a polyvinyl coating, provides durability and prevents the sulfur from making contact with the skin, Richards said.

After talking to the manufacturer, Richards said, the EMA began the process by trying to solidify the sulfur. Once the material was removed, the workers “power-broomed” and “power-washed” the roadway, Richards said.

“It’s been a slow recovery,” Richards said. “It’s not the easiest material to clean up. It’s a slow, slow process. There’s really no quick way to clean it up.”

Traffic was being rerouted from I-75 southbound Exit 76 to US 25 south.

Havanna Hagans can be reached at news@richmondregister.com or at 623-1669.