A fiery crash on I-17 southbound near Thomas on Monday afternoon took the life of a motorcyclist.
Tony Mure of the Phoenix Fire Department says the incident started when some cylinders of compressed gas fell off a flatbed truck onto the roadway, causing vehicles to swerve to avoid them, and resulting in a chain-reaction crash.
“Everybody put on their brakes,” Mure said. “Unfortunately, the motorcyclist stopped immediately in front of the semi-truck, who couldn’t stop quick enough, running over the motorcyclist and hitting the family of six in the suburban.”
Mure said the flatbed truck that started the chain reaction left the scene for unknown reasons. He said while the motorcyclist lost his life, the others who were hurt had only minor injuries. The crash, and resulting fire, closed the freeway for approximately six hours.