Maryland Transportation Authority Police yesterday identified two of the four victims of a fiery explosion that erupted Tuesday when a tanker truck jackknifed off an overpass and burst into flames on Interstate 95 in Howard County.
Police identified Jackie M. Frost, 64, of Carroll County as the driver of the tanker and Maurice R. Durschlag, 62, of Glen Burnie as the driver of a pickup truck that was destroyed in the accident.
Mr. Frost’s wife told WMAR-TV (Channel 2) in Baltimore yesterday that her husband drove for Petro-Chemical Transport Inc. for 16 years and has a clean driving record.
“He’s gone. He’s with God. He’s in a much better place,” Geri Hunter Frost said. “I would like to know if someone ran him off the road. I would like to know if he had a heart attack.”
Mr. Frost is survived by nine children, ages 3 to 39, Mrs. Frost said.
Mr. Durschlag is survived by his wife, Sandy, three children and six grandchildren, his daughter said.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office performed autopsies Wednesday. No signs of “natural disease,” such as stroke, asthma attack or cardiac arrest, were found in any of the victims.
Blood samples also were taken to test for alcohol or drugs, but results will not be known for three to five days.
The other drivers have not been identified.
Mr. Frost’s cargo of gasoline may have shifted and made the tanker uncontrollable, state police said.
“Any hard turn or shift in direction could cause the load to move, which makes [controlling the vehicle] extremely difficult,” said Krah Plunkert, supervisor of the crash unit of the Maryland State Police.
The vehicle plunged off an Interstate 895 highway overpass onto I-95 and exploded in a massive fireball near Elkridge. Two cars, a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer were destroyed with the tanker in the blaze.
Two witnesses saw the tanker moving erratically on I-895 before Tuesday afternoon’s crash, police said.
Authorities yesterday continued to investigate what caused the tanker to veer off the overpass.
“We have not ruled out [Mr. Frost] having a medical emergency,” said Chief Gary McLhinney of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. “We [eventually] will know exactly what happened.” Mr. Frost’s family told authorities he had no medical condition that might have impaired his ability to drive.
Mr. Frost had no criminal record or moving violations in the state, Chief McLhinney said, adding that investigators do not think another vehicle caused the tanker to swerve off the highway.
Excessive speed also is being investigated as a cause, he said.
The safety of the jersey barrier involved in the crash was being questioned by some officials, who said more safety measures should be taken with bigger vehicles.
“Road design can do a lot to prevent [crashes],” said Deborah DeYoung, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “It’s still early in the investigation, so it’s hard to say if the speed [of the tanker] would have prevented the barrier from stopping the truck, but a hard look needs to be taken in redesigning roads.”
The concrete wall that the tanker hit on the overpass met national safety standards, government officials said. Maryland State Highway Administration officials on Wednesday deemed the idea of raising the heights of walls on overpasses impractical.
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