Update:Fatal Detroit I-75 fuel tanker wreck recovery

2009-07-23 01:14:01 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - 18 wheeler accident, Justice News Flash)

Detroit I-75 overpass collapse recovery after 18 wheeler accident fatality.

Legal news for Michigan 18 wheeler accident attorneys.

Detroit I-75 fuel tanker truck wreck recovery underway by MDOT.

Detroit, MI—Demolition and construction crews are reportedly working around the clock to clean up and repair the damage caused from the fiery tanker crash on Wednesday, July 15, 2009. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) http://www.michigan.gov/mdot has re-opened all lanes on I-75 between 8 Mile Road and I-696 as of 1:00 p.m. Monday, July 20, 2009, as reported by the Free Press.

Crain’s Detroit Business reported the MDOT awarded an emergency $84,000 contract to a Shelby Township-based Posen Construction Inc. to complete demolition construction work on the remaining charred overpass. The construction and demolition project is expected to cost between $2 million and $3 million. The main priority of MDOT was to open the I-75 freeway as quickly as possible. Demolition, construction, and clean up crews have been reportedly moving in a fast pace in demolishing the rest of the fallen 9-mile overpass. Workers have also been working around the clock to tear down beams, piers, and the rest of the overpass that survived the collapse and intense heat. The MDOT is predicting a new 9-mile overpass will be completed and re-opened by November. It is unknown how badly scorched the asphalt is where the freeway was damaged under the intense heat, and how much of the roadway will need to be resurfaced or replaced. The MDOT has estimated the re-paving of I-75 will reach an upwards of $90,000, with the demolition costing another $78,000 to taxpayers.

The three people involved in the accident have been identified as, tanker driver Michael St. John, 44, of Armada; tractor-trailer driver Jody Cicero, 38, of Monroe; and the driver of the car Saied Haidarian-Shari, 27, of Clawson. Safiedine Oil Co. reportedly employs the tank driver and Meijer Inc employs the tractor-trailer driver. It is believed the driver of the car lost control, which caused the tanker to loose control and flip, igniting the blaze. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) http://www.ntsb.gov investigators arrived on Thursday to evaluate the crash and the stability of the tanker.

News Contributor: Nicole Howley- Legal news for personal injury attorneys