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Information Added: Wednesday, December 15, 1999
- 6:49 PM
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The three-truck chain-reaction crash included a truck carrying lethal methyl bromide cylinders. It forced the closure of busy Interstate Highway 95 for most of the day, and kept several schools from opening.

Thick, black smoke poured from the crash site, and hazardous materials crews were dispatched to the wreck when they saw placards on one truck indicating it had a poisonous cargo.

One driver was trapped in his truck's cab for four hours until it was determined that none of the 16 methyl bromide cylinders had leaked, and it was safe for rescuers to approach.

About 3,000 students were kept away from their schools by the incident.

Methyl bromide is a colorless, odorless gas typically used as a pesticde for controlling insects and rodents, primarily in agriculture, but also in building fumigation. Exposure to the gas, which is gradually being banned by federal regulation because it contributes to depletion of the ozone layer, can harm the lungs, eyes and skin and cause fatal damage to the central nervous system.