Quick Action by Local Workers Saved Lives
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A wreck at SH 71 near Airport Rd. in front of Carlton Industries involved several 18-wheelers, including a tanker that spilled 7,200 gallons of diesel. Photo courtesy of the La Grange Volunteer FIre Department
At 8:45 a.m. Tuesday a crash involving three 18-wheelers occurred on SH 71 eastbound near Airport Rd. in dense fog.
One of the 18-wheelers was pulling a tank trailer carrying 7,200 gallons of diesel.
“One of the 18-wheelers sideswiped or clipped the tank,” said La Grange Fire Chief Frank Menefee. “The tanker rolled over on its side and had a rip in the tank 24-36 inches long. The diesel drained in the ditch and we couldn’t stop it.”
The wreckage blocked both eastbound lanes, backing up traffic for miles. Menefee said firefighters remained on that scene for about two hours.
Workers inside Carlton Industries heard the crash from the initial wreck and ran outside.
“We saw another 18-wheeler coming, and by the time the driver knew to hit the brakes, he hit the other two that were already wrecked,” said Rhonda Hentschel, one of the workers at Carlton Industries.
“We have safety flags in the shop, so our team from the front office ran to the highway and tried flagging people down to stop. The cars were coming out of the fog, slipping and sliding everywhere. Another 18-wheeler hit the ditch in front of Katy Sweet and was able to stop before running into our building.”
Hentschel said she and her co-workers checked on the drivers of the wrecked trucks and got them chairs to sit on until the ambulance got there.
“There were three or four minor fender benders while we were out there,” Hentschel said. “I was like, ‘We’ve got to get these people off the highway.’ We could just see those big trucks coming and plowing through.”
The Carlton Industries team directed vehicles into their parking lot and onto Airport Rd. in an effort to avoid further collisions.
“It was pretty crazy,” she said.
Hentschel said one of the motorists, a man from Round Top, returned later that afternoon and thanked the workers.
“He said we saved his life,” Hentschel said. “That made us feel it was worth it.”
Menefee said Pct. 1 Commissioner Jason McBroom responded with a crew of workers who built a makeshift dam to keep the diesel from spreading any farther. Menefee notified the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality about the spill and instructed the trucking company to hire a hazardous material cleanup crew.
Fayette County EMS transported two patients from the scene to St. Mark’s Medical Center.