LIBERTY - Route 15 on Bloss Mountain in Tioga County was closed between Blossburg and Sebring for several hours following a truck crash and subsequent fire around 9:40 a.m. Friday.
According to state police, Jeffrey D. Krout, 27, of Wellsboro, was traveling south in a fully loaded 2005 Peterbilt fuel tanker in the right lane, when he served across the left lane and onto the shoulder of the road.
The truck, which was carrying about 4,600 gallons of diesel fuel, then swerved back across both lanes of travel, left the roadway, traveled onto the right side berm and overturned.
Article Photos
LONNY?FROST/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
A firefighter extinguishes a fuel tanker that overturned Friday on Route 15 on Bloss Mountain. The truck was carrying about 4,600 gallons of fuel when the crash occurred. The driver’s injuries were mild, authorities said.
Krout extricated himself from the vehicle just before it caught fire.
Blossburg, Liberty and Mansfield fire departments responded to the scene to extinguish the fire, which destroyed the tanker.
Krout, who refused treatment at the scene for a minor leg injury, was charged with careless driving and rollover violations.
The northbound lanes were re-opened at about 1:30 p.m., state Department of Transportation's public information officer Rick Mason, but the southbound lanes remained closed while the crash scene was cleaned up.
