TRIESTE – An articulated lorry and a tanker truck were involved this morning in an accident that occurred at around 11.20 a.m. on the A4 motorway, on the three-lane section between Meolo-Roncade and San Donà di Piave heading towards Trieste.
The heavy vehicle, which was carrying phenol (a benzene-derived compound), rear-ended an empty CO2 tanker and overturned, also damaging the side barriers. Following the impact, the articulated lorry caught fire.
According to initial reconstructions, the tanker had been stationary for several minutes in the emergency lane, probably because of a brake system problem. The articulated lorry approaching from behind, for causes still under investigation, struck the left side of the tanker with the right side of its cab and overturned, catching fire.
In the crash, the vehicle tore out around ten metres of safety barrier. The driver, though only slightly injured, got out of the vehicle on his own and tried to put out the fire, which spread a few minutes later following the violent impact.
Firefighters, traffic police, the air ambulance and staff from Autostrade Alto Adriatico attended the scene. To allow rescue operations and safety measures on the crashed vehicles, the transfer of the hazardous load from the heavy vehicle and clean-up operations, the stretch of the A4 between Meolo and San Donà was closed in both directions.
