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Jul 1, 2007 6:56 pm US/Eastern
Fiery Crash Closes Tappan Zee Bridge; 1 Dead
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ―
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The Tappan Zee Bridge has been shut down in both directions following a deadly accident.
CBS
A fiery tractor-trailer crash closed the Tappan Zee Bridge on Sunday, killing a driver and leaving state officials checking the span for possible structural problems.
The trailer burst into flames when it collided with two passenger vehicles at around 7:20 p.m., and the driver of the larger vehicle was killed, said New York State Thruway Authority dispatcher David Jones.
"It was huge. There was big black smoke and a huge ball of fire," said Angela Ruolo, who saw the blaze from nearby South Nyack.
An engineer was checking the bridge's structural integrity, and authorities were investigating the circumstances of the crash, Jones said. Two or three people suffered minor injuries at the scene, he said.
The span, which connects Nyack, in Rockland County, and Tarrytown, in Westchester County, remained closed late Sunday, and officials said the incident could effect the morning commute.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
