The northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 75 were closed Wednesday morning following a fiery tractor-trailer crash in the early morning hours, causing lengthy traffic delays during the morning rush hour.
The crash occurred when the driver of an 18-wheeler lost control of the vehicle in the northbound lanes of U.S. 75 near the Park Road exit in Plano. The truck overturned, slid across several lanes of traffic, and caught fire. Three other vehicles, including another 18-wheeler, were hit by the truck during the incident.
A good Samaritan helped the driver of the overturned rig get out of the cab, saving his life, according to Plano Police Department Public Information Officer Andrae Smith, CBS News reported.
Two people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the department.
The overturned truck was on fire when Plano Fire-Rescue responded to the crash at about 5:15 a.m., CBS News reported. The northbound side of the highway was closed for several hours as officials allowed the fuel from the truck to burn itself out.
“It was under control pretty quick because the fire was contained just to the tractor-trailer, so all we did as the department is take care of the injured, and then we just kept everybody away to let it burn,” said Michael Carr, public information officer for Plano Fire-Rescue.
The Plano Police Department tweeted multiple images of the incident, showing a massive plume of black smoke and the blazing remnants of the vehicle covering multiple lanes of traffic.
Wednesday’s road closure caused a massive backup of traffic, at least 5 miles in length, in the northbound lanes of U.S. 75. Traffic was rerouted to the feeder road, Greenville Avenue, and Plano Road.
The highway reopened later that afternoon after road crews cleared debris from the scene.
TXDOT reported that the highway did not suffer any damage from the crash and fire, per CBS.
