HIGHWAY ACCIDENT REPORT. TRUCK-AUTOMIBILE COLLISION INVOLVING SPILLED METHYL BROMIDE ON U.S. 90 NEAR GRETNA, FLORIDA, AUGUST 8, 1971

A PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT AN INTERSECTION NEAR GRETNA, FLORIDA, WAS STRUCK BY A TRACTOR-VAN TYPE SEMITRAILER COMBINATION WHICH WAS ATTEMPTING TO OVERTAKE AND PASS THE AUTOMOBILE. BOTH VEHICLES ENTERED A ROADSIDE DITCH AFTER THE COLLISION. SEVERAL UNSECURED LARGE STEEL CYLINDERS, CONTAINING A MIXTURE OF METHYL BROMIDE AND CHLORPICRIN PRESSURIZED WITH AIR, BROKE OUT OF THE TRAILER AND SUSTAINED DAMAGES WHICH RESULTED IN LEAKAGE OF THE CONTENTS. FOUR OF THE OCCUPANTS OF THE AUTOMOBILE WERE EXPOSED TO THE RESULTANT CONTAMINATED ATMOSPHERE AND DID NOT SURVIVE. THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD DETERMINES THAT THE CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE PASSING MANEUVER OF THE TRUCKDRIVER WHO APPROACHED A RECOGNIZABLE INTERSECTION ON THE WRONG SIDE OF A SOLID YELLOW CENTER LINE AND THE EXECUTION WITHOUT SIGNALING OF A LEFT TURN BY THE AUTOMOBILE DRIVER INTO THE PATH OF THE OVERTAKING TRUCK. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1970-6-1

Media Info

• Pagination: 59 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash causes; Crash investigation; Crashes; Hazardous materials; Traffic crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Motor vehicle accidents
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00222048
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 25 1973 12:00AM