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A butane tanker overturned this morning on the Western Highway. It was loaded with two thousand gallons of butane gas on its way to Orange Walk. It was a recipe for disaster – a loaded gas tanker overturned on a major highway. It forced the shutdown of a portion of the Western Highway for nearly 2 hours but the good news tonight is that disaster was averted. 7News was on the scene.

Keith Swift Reporting,
This was the scene at 11 o’clock this morning at mile 31 on the Western Highway. Traffic was backed up on both sides because the highway was blocked off. Workmen were using these two cranes to right this loaded “LP Gas” butane tanker that had flipped in front of Cheers Restaurant and Bar at 8 am. Rogelio Gutierrez was driving to Orange Walk accompanied by his wife and young son. He told us in an off camera interview that he simply lost control of the truck.

Rogelio Gutierrez, Driver
“We happened to think that we were going to stop here at Cheers for a cup of coffee and when I stopped right around the curve and tried to slow down and shift down, my rear wheels gave out, they just skidded and I lost control. I started heading out off the road and just about that time I tried to bring the truck back but it was fully out of control, the road was too slippery, it was wet and then I had a full load of butane in it, 90% 2,000 gallon in it and the liquid flung the truck over on the side and it skidded into where it is right now. We crawled out of the cab, nothing happened, a few scratches but that is about.”

The truck was carrying two thousand gallons of butane – which could have caused a catastrophic explosion. Fire chief John Briggs was on the scene.

John Briggs, Fire Chief
“What we found was that the tank itself is secured, it is not leaking but there was a bent pipe, slightly damaged pipe by the pump system which was leaking slightly and that was a hazard because that has in butane gas which is rather flammable.”

Rogelio Gutierrez,
“There are two pipes in the back that sprung small leaks but all the safety valves, all the shut off valves, everything is on. It was closed up so there is no leaks coming from the tank, just the pipes and outside of the tank and that has been drained now so it is completely safe.”

John Briggs,
“If that had exploded, I don’t know the extent but I would have thought the windows and chairs would have been blown out and anybody within two to three hundred yards would have been in serious trouble.”

But that didn’t happen – and Rogelio Gutierrez just feels lucky to be alive.

Rogelio Gutierrez,
“The frightening part would have been if there had been some body hurt or something like that but just the truck flipped over. My wife and child are okay and that to me is pretty much what counts.”

And while Rogelio Gutierrez was optimistic that he could have simply drive off in his tanker – he wasn’t so lucky. When we passed the scene of the accident this afternoon - the truck was still parked in the Cheer’s parking lot. No word on when it will towed back to Spanish Lookout.