KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Traffic was backed up on U.S. 131 in Kalamazoo Thursday morning due to a truck fire.
Police say a semi driver was heading north on U.S. 131 near the Parkview Drive overpass when he reached down to pick up his phone. As the 24-year-old driver did this, his truck swerved out of his lane and hit a disabled vehicle on the side of the road.
There was a 45-year-old woman in that car at the time; she was waiting for a tow truck to change her tire. When the semi hit it, the collision ruptured the truck's gas tank, causing it to spill on the road.
The fuel - and consequently the semi - caught fire. The semi driver was not injured; the woman suffered a minor injury to her leg.
The semi driver was given a ticket for improper lane use.
U.S. 131 was closed for 2 hours.
