Tanker truck driver called hero by some witnesses

Martin Griffith

Monday, Sept. 28, 1998 | 9:37 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - Some witnesses have hailed a truck driver as a hero, saying he took action to save other lives before his gas tanker overturned and erupted into a giant fireball at a busy intersection here.

The driver, Dave Cermak, 55, of Sparks, was killed Saturday after he swerved to avoid hitting two cars stopped at the intersection to help in another accident.

His tanker rig overturned, triggering a spectacular fire and series of explosions. The rig, owned by Beneto Tank Lines of Sacramento, Calif., was hauling 9,200 gallons of gasoline.

Four nearby vehicles were destroyed by flames at the intersection of McCarran Boulevard and Pembroke Lane, but all eight occupants escaped serious injury.

Fred Cox of Reno, who was waiting for a red light at the intersection when the crash occurred, said he thinks Cermak may have rolled the truck over deliberately.

"It all happened so fast that it's hard to know. But I think he might have wrecked the truck to avoid hitting anyone else," he said, adding his car came within 20 feet of being hit.

Witness Cathleen Van Arkel of Reno said she also thinks the driver took evasive action to spare lives.

"He knew what was coming. I really think he saved our lives by what he did," she said.

Cox's wife, LeAnn, said she doesn't blame Cermak for the accident. He was driving a safe speed and simply didn't realize that the two cars were stopped for another accident.

"The truck driver was almost on them when he realized they were stopped," she said. "He had a green light and there was no reason for him to slow down."

The emergency flashers of the other vehicles weren't on and no flares were at the scene of the earlier two-vehicle collision, Mrs. Cox added.

Other witnesses said recent road work and heavy rain combined to make the surface very slick.

Police Lt. Jim Ballard said investigators are looking at all factors, including driver inattention and speeding.

"He (Cermak) didn't see until the very last second that there was a hazard in front of him," he said.

The intersection remained closed Sunday because of major damage to the surface.

The accident is under investigation by police and the Nevada Highway Patrol.