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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/593/medium/Ethanol_Tanker.jpg

Not much explanation is needed here. This is a recent ethanol tanker wreck at the US 61/Iowa 22 intersection. What I know for sure is that the truck spun out 270 degrees and rolled over spilling over 1000 gallons of fuel ethanol. (BTW: spilled fuel ethanol smells a lot like rotgut tequila.) What I was told is that the driver looked up and suddenly had to swerve.

To me this looks like a case of distracted driving similar to the wreck that recently wiped out a whole motorcycle club in AZ.

How in the #@$#@$ do you spin a tanker trucker 3/4s the way around in a circle?? At least there were no other motorists involved, one can hope.

How in the #@$#@$ do you spin a tanker trucker 3/4s the way around in a circle?? At least there were no other motorists involved, one can hope.

We've been trying to figure that too. I've been told that when the liquids slosh funny things can happen to tanker trailers.

My interpretation is that the guy probably swerved/braked hard to avoid a vehicle that was slowed or stopped at the traffic light, had the trailer start to jackknife on him, and then more bad things happened when he tried to get it back under control.