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I-4 Re-Opens In Polk County

Posted Jan 10, 2008 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Jan 10, 2008 at 06:34 PM

The Florida Highway Patrol has re-opened 14 miles of Interstate 4 closed Wednesday in Polk County after a massive 70-car pileup.

Workers have finished resurfacing 650 feet of the highway left deeply gouged and scorched by the accident just east of State Road 559.

A final inspection occurred around 6 p.m. and the Department of Transportation sent out a release at 6:25 p.m. announcing that the road is open.

Workers started ripping up the asphalt to lay down a new surface late Wednesday but halted work when another thick blanket of fog rolled in – like the one that triggered the crashes the day before.

Work stopped at 3 a.m. and didn’t resume until about 9 a.m.

I-4 was closed beacuse of the accident between the Polk Parkway and U.S. 27, about 14 miles of I-4.

It’s not certain how long I-4 will remain open. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Cindy Clemmons-Adente said more fog is forecast overnight and as a result portions of the interstate could again be shut down.

- Rich Shopes

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FHP To Decide Whether To Open I-4 Soon

Posted Jan 10, 2008 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Jan 10, 2008 at 06:03 PM

The Florida Highway Patrol will make a decision by 6:30 tonight as to whether to re-open 14 miles of Interstate 4 in Polk County that was shut down early Wednesday after a massive 70-car pileup.

Department of Transportation spokeswoman Cindy Clemmons-Adente said repairs to 650-foot stretch of the highway are mostly complete and workers had only to finish laying down the white striping.

“If everything looks good, the Florida Highway Patrol will open the highway,” she said.

The road was closed at about 5:45 a.m. Wednesday and crews started to repair the most damaged section of highway, just east of State Road 559, at about 10:30 p.m.

Work was halted a few hours later when another thick blanket of fog rolled in, like the one that triggered the crashes the day before.

It’s not certain how long I-4 will remain open. Clemmons-Adente said more fog is forecast for overnight and that the highway patrol could make a decision to close the interstate.

- Rich Shopes

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FHP Releases Information About More Vehicles

Posted Jan 10, 2008 by TBO.com

Updated Jan 10, 2008 at 05:27 PM

The Florida Highway Patrol has released information about vehicles involved in the major portion of Wednesday’s Interstate 4 collisions. The FHP did not release the identities of the four people who died or the drivers.

Here’s the year, make, model and damage of the vehicles, if known:

 

Year	Make	Model	Damage
Unknown	Unknown	Tractor Trailer	Burned, Bealls Clothing
Unknown	Unknown	Tractor Trailer	Heavy Damage, Bealls Clothing
Unknown	Unknown	Tractor Trailer	Burned
Unknown	Unknown	Tractor Trailer	Burned
Unknown	Unknown	Tractor Trailer	Burned
Unknown	Unknown	Straight/Box Truck	Burned
Unknown	Unknown	Straight/Box Truck	Burned, Tire Company
2004	Freightliner	Straight/Box Truck	Heavy Damage, Kanes Furniture
2006	Freightliner	Straight/Box Truck	Heavy Damage, Ashe Industries
Unknown	Unknown	Tractor Trailer	Heavy Damage, Soil Tech
Unknown	International	Tractor Trailer	Minor Burn
Unknown	Unknown	Tractor	Burned
Unknown	Ford	F-750	Heavy Damage, Neff Rentals
2006	Hino	Straight/Box Truck	Heavy Damage
Unk	Ken Worth	Straight/Dump Truck	Heavy Damage
Unknown	Ford	Mustang	Burned
1991	Unknown	Lincoln	Burned
2005	Chevrolet	Straight/Heavy Truck	Heavy Damage
Unknown	Toyota	Unknown	Heavy Damage
Unknown	GMC	Crew Cab Pickup	Heavy Damage
2000	Toyota	Full size Pickup	Heavy Damage
1994	Ford	Taurus	Minor Damage
2005	Dodge	Ram Pickup	Moderate Damage
2003	Chevrolet	S-10 Pickup	Heavy Damage
1995	Geo	Prism	Heavy Damage
Unknown	Chevrolet	Crew Cab Pickup	Heavy Damage
2005	GMC	Pickup	Heavy Damage, All American Roofing
2005	Chevrolet	Malibu	Heavy Damage
Unknown	Chevrolet	Suburban	Burned
2001	Ford	Ranger Pickup	Moderate Damage
1991	Subaru	Station Wagon	Heavy Damage
2001	Pontiac	Grand Prix	Moderate Damage
2003	Ford	Taurus	Heavy Damage
Unknown	Chevrolet	Cavalier Coupe	Burned
2002	International	Straight Truck	Heavy Damage, On Time Services
2005	Toyota	SUV	Moderate Damage
2004	Chevrolet	Avalanche	Moderate Damage
2008	Honda	Civic Sedan	Heavy Damage
Unknown	Unknown	Mini Van	Burned
2002	Ford	Focus	Moderate Damage
2000	Ford	F-150 Pickup	Moderate Damage

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Escaped Burn Prompts Procedure Examination

Posted Jan 10, 2008 by Mike Salinero

Updated Jan 10, 2008 at 04:28 PM

Forestry officials are rethinking procedures after a controlled burn raged out of control a half mile from Interstate 4 on Tuesday. Smoke from the fire is widely believed to have increased the density of fog that caused a 70-vehicle pileup near U.S. 27 early Wednesday morning.

Critics have questioned why the burning was done so close to the interstate during extremely dry conditions.

“In a situation like this you’re going to rethink what you’re doing,” said Chris Kintner, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Forestry in Lakeland. “And we’re getting close to cutting off all burning. We do look at that on yearly basis.”

The forestry agency, part of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, issues most burn permits in the state and can put restrictions on burning, including burn bans. So far, the forestry agency has not taken that step, having issued 34 burn authorizations in Polk and Hillsborough counties on Wednesday alone.

Most of those were for burning brush piles on agricultural land.

Kintner said the agency is going through an intense self-evaluation in light of the failure to keep the fire contained to the 10 acres prescribed for a burn. Kintner said the man in charge of the prescribed burn, Steve Burger, was devastated by the turn of events.

Still, the agency is not second-guessing its policy of authorizing controlled burns in the 19th month of a drought that has hit west-central Florida particularly hard.

“Hindsight is 20-20. You always rethink it after the fact,” Kintner said. “(But) We will have the kind of wildfires they have in California if we don’t do prescribed burns. People will lose their homes.”

Department of Agriculture law enforcement agents are investigating whether the smoke played a part in the wall of fog that caused four deaths and 38 injuries Wednesday morning.

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Car Found So A Happy Ending

Posted Jan 10, 2008 by Jennifer Leigh

Updated Jan 10, 2008 at 04:28 PM

It turns out there was a little confusion.

Tracey Loverde of Lakeland came to Fantasy of Flight this morning where vehicles involved in Wednesday’s crashes are stored looking for her 2000 maroon Buick LeSabre. She had avoided being hit in the series of collisions but had to abandon her car.

The problem is, her car wasn’t there and along with it her cell phone and ring of keys.  She talked to a trooper who said the Buick was not on the list of vehicles towed to Fantasy of Flight and suggested she check with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office next.

Finally, after help from the Florida Highway Patrol, she’s on her way to be reunited with not only her vehicle, but missing belongings. It turns out her car, moved to the side of the road, was masked by some Department of Transportation vehicles.

Loverde described herself as being very relieved.

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