By Joel Marino, Lisa Huriash and Sofia Santana
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
WESTON, Fla. — A van loaded with volatile chemicals crashed into the back of a transit bus Wednesday afternoon, sending nine people to hospitals and shutting down a segment of Weston Road for more than three hours, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
The van’s driver, an unidentified man, received the worst injuries and was taken to Broward General Medical Center. His condition was unavailable Wednesday night.
The Broward County transit bus driver and seven passengers were taken to Cleveland Clinic with minor injuries, said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Assistant Chief John Schildknecht. The five other passengers on the bus refused treatment, he said.
“Everybody was nervous,” said Pembroke Pines resident Jonathan Rodriguez, 26, a bus passenger whose injuries were not serious. “People were in shock, gasping.”
The crash happened about 1:15 p.m. at Weston Road and Blatt Boulevard.
Officials said the bus had slowed to pick up passengers when a car behind it veered around to pass it. The van, which was traveling behind that car, kept going after the vehicle veered away, rear-ending the bus, said sheriff’s spokesman Mike Jachles.
Deputies who responded to the crash called a hazardous materials team when they saw the van’s cargo: containers full of chemicals and gases, including chlorine, nitrogen and propane, some of which were leaking, Jachles said.
“The substances in that vehicle certainly had the potential to be very hazardous,” Jachles said. “Had some of the chemicals combined with other materials in there, there certainly could have been an explosion.”
Investigators said the van was used for an appliance repair business but didn’t have other details.
Authorities closed off Weston Road in both directions from Saddle Club Road to North New River Drive for 3 1/2 hours while the hazardous materials team cleared the scene.
Copyright 2009 South Florida Sun-Sentinel