OCALA I-75 accident with tanker 2000 Gal of Diesel fuel on fire

[khoelldobler]

OCALA – Police say a drunken driver ran a stoplight on State Road 200 early Saturday morning and plowed into a tanker carrying fuel, causing a large fire and briefly closing portions of Interstate 75.

After the crash, Ocala police arrested Jamie Vermolen-Pineda, 36, and charged him with driving under the influence, according to a police report. No one was injured in the accident.

At about 2 a.m. Saturday, a tanker driven by 45-year-old Joseph Seal had been going east on SR 200 and was turning onto the northbound ramp to enter I-75. The tanker was hit at the rear tires by a pickup truck Vermolen-Pineda was driving west on SR 200.

The crash caused a fire, and officials said more than 2,000 gallons of diesel was burned. They said the fire was so intense some portions of the entrance ramp from SR 200 onto I-75 will have to be repaved.

Law enforcement officials had to close the southbound lanes for about a half-hour. Northbound lanes were closed for a longer time, as officials cleaned up the mess and completed the investigation.

At the scene, witnesses told officers that the driver of the Dodge pickup truck had run the red light and was at fault.

Police officers said that, after the impact, Vermolen-Pineda backed up the pickup, which was on fire. They said an unknown vehicle arrived, picked up Vermolen-Pineda and left.

Vermolen-Pidena was at a convenience store in the 1900 block of Southwest 27th Avenue when he called police and told them where they could find him. Officers went there and brought him back to the scene.

At the location, officers said Vermolen-Pidena was staggering and lost his balance while he was walking toward them. At one point, the report noted, Vermolen-Pidena had to hold onto an officer's vehicle to balance himself.

Officials conducted a field sobriety exercise and Vermolen-Pidena failed the test, according to the report. He was then arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail, where a breath test was performed. Authorities say Vermolen-Pidena blew a .251 and a .260, which indicate a blood alcohol level about three times the legal limit for drivers in Florida.