TECH CENTER AS WELL.
SOUTHBOUND ALONG I-225, SPEEDS
INTO THE 20s.
A SEVEN MINUTE DRIVE FROM
PARKER ROAD OUT TO I-25.
I TANKER CRASH FIRE AROUND
NOON CLOSED ALL NORTH AND
SOUTHBOUND LANES OF I-25 FOR
MUCH OF THE DAY.
CDOT WORK THROUGH THE DAY AND
INTO THE NIGHT WITH OTHER
AGENCIES TO CLEAR THE SCENE AND
GET THE ROAD REOPENED BY THE
START OF THE MORNING COMMUTE
THIS MORNING.
JOINING US IS SHAILEN BHATT,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CDOT.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
YOU WENT TO BED AT MIDNIGHT
LAST NIGHT WORKING THE
SITUATION.
KUDOS TO ALL THE CREWS WERE
ABLE TO GET THE WROTE OPENED
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
YES.
I THINK THAT CDOT IS RECEIVING
SOME KUDOS.
I WANT TO THROW A LOT OF KUDOS
OUT TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT
WAS THERE, THE POLICE, THE
CONTRACTORS THAT WORKED WITH
US.
KRAMER, THE ENVIRONMENTAL
GROUP.
A GREAT TEAM EFFORT.
STATEMENT IT WAS A UNIQUE SET
OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CAME
TOGETHER FOR THIS TO CLOSE THE
INTERSTATE.
YES.
YOU ARE ALWAYS LOOKING AT BEST
CASE SCENARIO, WORST-CASE
SCENARIO.
THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD.
THE CONCRETE MEDIAN PREVENTED
IT'S GOING ACROSS.
THE CRUISE JUMPED RIGHT ON IT.
WE STAGED EVERYTHING THERE.
WHAT WE DID NOT KNOW IS HOW
MUCH DAMAGE THERE WOULD BE.
ONCE WE GOT IN THERE, WE
REALIZE HOW MUCH WE HAD TO DO
AND THAT'S WHY WE WORKED
THROUGH THE NIGHT.
AND IS PARTIALLY BECAUSE IT
WAS AN OIL TANKER FIRE.
A TANKER CARRYING FUEL AND THAT
FUEL BURNED.
YOU CAN'T PUT WATER ON IT.
IF IT BURNED THE 450 DEGREES
CENTIGRADE IT WILL BURN UP THE
ASPHALT.
IF WHAT HAD BEEN A TRUCK
CARRYING BLOOD, WOULD'VE JUMPED
WATER ON IT.
AND WE WOULD'VE BEEN QUICKER.
IT WAS ALMOST LIKE DEMON FIRE.
IT WOULD GO DOWN AND THEN
SPRING BACK UP.
KUDOS TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
FOR GETTING IT OUT.
AND THERE IS STILL SOME
REPAIR WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE
DONE.
WE WILL SEE HOW THIS ASPHALT
HOLDS UP.
IT WAS THE ASPHALT WE HAD.
WE GOT OUT THERE AND GOT IT
DOWN.
THE CENTER MEDIAN GOT FIXED
PRETTY BADLY.
WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
STRUCTURAL STEEL INSIDE OF IT.
WE WILL NEED TO COME BACK INTO
SOME REPAIRS BUT WE WILL DO
THOSE ON THE WEEKEND AT NIGHT.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WAS TO
GET IT OPEN IN THE MORNING.
WE NEED TO ASK ABOUT
TRANSPORTATION FUNDING.
THE GOVERNOR SIGNED THE BILL
THIS WEEK GIVING YOUR $2
BILLION WOULD YOU SAY THAT'S
NOT ENOUGH.
I THINK GETTING THE HOSPITAL
PROVIDER FEE FIXED WAS A BIG
DEAL FOR THE GOVERNOR AND I
THINK IT'S A GREAT DEAL FOR
COLORADO.
BUT THAT'S THE HOSPITAL
PROVIDER FEE FIXED.
IT IS NOT FIXED TRANSPORTATION.
I KNOW PEOPLE SAY THAT $2
BILLION SEEMS LIKE A LOT.
$1 BILLION IS OUR OWN MONEY
GOING TO ASSET MANAGEMENT
MAINTAINING CURRENT ROADS AND
BRIDGES.
WE HAVE $20 BILLION IN NEEDS IN
THE NEXT 20 YEARS.
I KNOW IT'S HARD FOR PEOPLE TO
UNDERSTAND, HOW CAN YOU SAY $2
BILLION ISN'T ENOUGH?
ROADS AND BRIDGES ARE EXPENSIVE.
THE LEGISLATURE UNABLE TO
PASS AN INITIATIVE TO GET IT ON
THE BALLOT, A SALES TAX
INCREASE.
THAT SOMETHING WE WILL WATCH
COMING INTO THE FALL.
WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS,
NOBODY IS ASKING AND LEGISLATOR
TO VOTE FOR A TAX INCREASE.
WHAT WE ARE ASKING THEM TO DO
IS LET US GO TO THE PEOPLE OF
COLORADO AND SAY HERE ARE THE
PROJECTS WE BUILD AND HERE IS
WHAT IT WOULD COST.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE SCARED OF
VOTERS.
I THINK BOATERS ARE INFORMED
AND PRETTY INTELLIGENT.
I THINK THEY WOULD MAKE THE
RIGHT DECISION.
A LITTLE PERPLEXING AS TO WHY
WE CAN'T GET A REFERRED MEASURE
BUT WE WILL KEEP FIGHTING.
THE CONVERSATION WE WILL
HAVE INTO THE FUTURE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
YOU GUYS WERE TOUCHING UPON
THIS A MOMENT AGO.
WHILE THE BODY OF THE TRUCK WAS
FURIOUSLY BURNING COMEDY TRUCK
DRIVER IN THE CRASH MANAGED TO
JUMP OUT OF THE CAB WITH JUST
SECONDS TO SPARE.
THREE MEN RUSHED INTO HARM'S
WAY AND PULL THE DRIVER AWAY
FROM THE HEAT OF THE FIRE.
SOMEONE IN A NEARBY OFFICE
RECORDED THE VIDEO OF THIS
RESCUE.
ALL THE LANES IN THE TECH
CENTER RE: OPEN THIS MORNING.
JAMIE LEARY IS LIVE NEAR I-25
AND ORCHARD WHERE THE CRASH
HAPPENED.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE STORY OF
PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE.
Reporter: YES.
THREE BYSTANDERS.
MORE PEOPLE TRYING TO HELP
AFTER THE IMPACT.
YOU CAN SEE THAT INITIAL IMPACT
THE TRUCK DRIVER MADE ALONG THE
MEDIAN.
IT'S CLEAR THAT WHILE ALL LANES
ARE OPEN COMMENT REPAIRS STILL
NEED TO BE MADE.
THAT DRIVER IS EXPECTED TO
SURVIVE BUT HIS EXACT CONDITION
IS UNKNOWN.
HE WAS CAPTURED ON VIDEO,
LITERALLY, ROLLING OUT OF THE
FLAMES.
THOSE THREE MEN RUSHED TO THE
TRUCK.
YOU CAN SEE THE CDOT WORKERS
GRABBING HIM AND PULLING HIM
AWAY.
THOSE FLAMES WERE SO HOT, THEY
BURNED THROUGH LAYERS OF
ASPHALT.
FOUR INCHES IN SOME PLACES.
THE THIRD MAN WHO CAME TO THE
DRIVER'S EIGHT, DAVE FRETZ, AS
A FORMER FIREFIGHTER.
HE RAN TO THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR
TO HELP OUT.
HE SPOKE TO THE DRIVER
AFTERWARDS AND STAYED WITH HIM
UNTIL HELP ARRIVED.
HE DID FALL A COUPLE TIMES
WHEN HE WAS COMING BACK TO MY
TRUCK.
WE PUT HIM ON MY, THAT WHICH OF
MY TRAILER.
I KEPT ASKING HIM, ARE YOU THE
ONLY GUY IN THE TRUCK?
HE SAID, YES, I AM.
I HEARD THIS KABOOM.
I TURNED AROUND AND THE TRUCK
-- YOU CANNOT EVEN SEE THE
TRUCK.
IT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAME.
BLACK, BLACK, BLACK SMOKE.
Reporter: THE INVESTIGATION
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