Fuel tanker breaks railing, plunges into canal following crash on Florida’s Turnpike

A fuel tanker was left partially submerged in a canal next to Florida’s Turnpike after an early morning crash Tuesday in Broward County.

The crash happened on the southbound lanes near Pines/Hollywood Boulevard, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

Helicopter video taken by WSVN, which first reported the crash, shows the 18-wheeler partially submerged in the water, a damaged silver Mercedes-Benz near the railing. Rescue crews were seen helping the driver onto a stretcher and taking him to shore.

He was taken to the hospital as a “precaution,” said FHP spokesman Lt. Yanko Reyes. The Mercedes-Benz driver was not injured.

There is also no oil spillage, said Reyes.

The right and center lanes are blocked, as of 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Drivers should expect delays and seek alternate routes.

This article will be updated once more information becomes available.

This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 7:35 AM.

Michelle Marchante

Miami Herald

305-376-2708

Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.  Support my work with a digital subscription