The Arizona Department of Public Safety opened the highway for traffic and lifted the evacuation at 5:28 a.m. Thursday morning.
At approximately 1:44 p.m. Wednesday, a van collided with a fuel tanker carrying 8,300 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel near the intersection of Highway 90 and Camino de Mesa.
 (Courtesy of the Arizona Department of Public Safety) The remains of the van driven by Richard Smith, 57, after the vehicle collided with a fuel tanker on Highway 90 in Whetstone Wednesday morning. Smith was airlifted to the University Medical Center in Tucson for his injuries. UMC officials were not available to comment on his condition as of Thursday evening. |
The driver of the van, Richard Smith, 57, of Vail, was airlifted to University Medical Center in Tucson for his injuries. UMC officials were not available to comment on Smith’s condition prior to press time.
The passenger in the van, Anita Smith, 44, also of Vail, along with the driver of the tanker, Adalberto Moreno, 64, of Tucson, were taken by ambulance to the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center for their injuries, said Joy Craig, public information officer with the Department of Public Safety.
No one has been cited in connection with the wreck, and the investigation into its cause is ongoing, DPS officials said.
Hazardous materials crews worked for hours to transfer the fuel from the tanker, which was upside down, to an empty the tanker before being able to clear the wreckage and allow traffic to resume.
During the nearly 16-hour wait, traffic heading north on Highway 90 was redirected at its intersection with Highway 82, and southbound traffic was stopped at mile post 298, near Kartchner Caverns State Park, Craig said.
A temporary shelter for Whetstone residents who had been evacuated from their homes was set up at Huachuca City Elementary School.
herald/Review reporter Derek Jordan can be reached at 515-4680 or by e-mail at derek.jordan@svherald. com.
