‘Like a spiral of fire’: Tanker truck crashes into transit bus on Florida interstate; driver hospitalized

By CNN Newsource

Published May 26, 2025 6:13 AM

By Julie Calhoun, Rubén Rosario

DAVIE, Florida (WSVN) — Drivers along Interstate 595 in Davie were met with a startling burst of flames when, authorities said, a tanker truck crashed into a Broward County Transit bus, shutting down westbound lanes for nearly 11 hours and sending the driver of the truck to the hospital.

According to Davie Fire Rescue, the crash took place shortly after 10 a.m. along the westbound lanes near Flamingo Road.

Dashcam video from a vehicle captured the moment of impact: a large fireball, followed by thick, black smoke billowing into the sky,

Investigators with Florida Highway Patrol said the gasoline tanker was traveling westbound on I-595 when it sideswiped the bus, which was disabled and unoccupied and parked on the the left shoulder of the highway, east of Southwest 136th Avenue.

FHP officials said the tanker struck the median wall and continued west about 1/10th of a mile before it ignited.

Paramedics transported the driver of the tanker to Broward Health Medical Center. FHP investigators said the victim was treated for minor burns and is expected to be OK.

Drivers and witnesses were left stunned by the sheer size of the flames pouring out from the tanker.

“Just a big plume of smoke, and then, when I showed up, it was like a spiral of fire,” said another witness. “It looked like from a sci-fi movie.”

Motorists said they could feel the fire’s intensity.

“You can feel it. It’s so hot, oh, my God,” a man could be heard saying in cellphone video taken from a car.

“It’s crazy. We were home, we heard this loud boom. Next thing you know, a truck’s on fire,” said an area resident.

Plumes of smoke were visible for miles, even in nearby neighborhoods.

“I’d just started to take a walk and saw the black smoke and sort of walked in this direction to see what it was,” said a witness who identified herself as Victoria. “I was pretty shocked to come around the corner and see this.”

“It’s crazy. I work for a school, and I thought it was one of our buildings, and I rushed over,” said another area resident.

Sunrise Fire Rescue crews helped firefighters with Davie Fire Rescue, as they worked to put out the flames.

An aerial view of the charred tanker conveyed the magnitude of the fiery crash, as fire rescue units and Broward Sheriff’s Office hazmat teams, worked to clean up the highway.

Westbound lanes remained shut down for most of the day, from Pine Island Road all the way to Southwest 136th Avenue, causing major backups. Traffic was diverted onto westbound State Road 84 at the Hiatus Road exit.

“It’s a scary sight; I hope everyone is safe,” said the witness who compared the fiery wreck to a sci-fi movie. “Sorry if it’s ruined everyone’s weekend plans if you’re taking 595.”

Broward County Transit didn’t immediately respond to 7News’ request for more information about the bus involved.

The westbound lanes of the highway have since reopened to traffic.

As of late Sunday night, it remains unclear how the crash happened. The Florida Highway Patrol is handling the investigation.

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