Trucks collide head-on on Cudjoe Key, closing U.S. 1 for hours Friday afternoon

A fuel tanker truck struck a utility line truck head on at mile marker 21 on U.S. 1 Friday afternoon, which closed the highway in the Lower Keys for more than three hours while crews dealt with flammable fuel on the road and in the mangroves.

The collission happened around 1:15 p.m. near Blimp Road on Cudjoe Key, said Cammy Clark, public information officer for Monroe County. The fuel truck was heading north when it struck the southbound-moving utility truck.

Medics took the fuel tanker driver to the Lower Keys Medical Center, and the driver of the other truck did not require hospitalization, Clark said.

The fuel truck was hauling 3,400 gallons of unleaded gasoline and 1,500 gallons of diesel. It was not immediately known how much fuel spilled on the road and into the mangroves. Monroe County Fire-Rescue crews sprayed foam to neutralize the spilt fuel, Clark said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was called about the spill, Clark said.

This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Trucks collide head-on on Cudjoe Key, closing U.S. 1 for hours Friday afternoon."