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Two Staten Island men -- off-duty firefighter Donald Casey and computer tech Jon Kalleberg -- are credited with rescuing the driver of a tractor-trailer yesterday, just minutes before the rig's fuel tank exploded, according to a published report. During the morning rush hour yesterday, the truck hit a guardrail and part of an overpass on the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn, snarling traffic for hours and sending black clouds of smoke into the air. The driver Franklin Montes was taken to Lutheran Medical Center with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, according to FDNY officials. The heroic duo, Casey and Kalleberg, reportedly came to the aide of Montes immediately following the crash. They pulled the injured driver from his rig, and instinctively dragged him to safety before the explosion sent debris flying their way. According to the report, Casey suffered from minor injuries, while Kalleberg was unharmed. Jennifer Nelson, a spokeswoman for state Department of Transportation, which owns the pedestrian walkway, said the truck struck a guardrail and then a supporting central pier of the pedestrian overpass before exploding into flames at 9:10 a.m. at 72nd Street in Bay Ridge. There were no pedestrians harmed. ASSESSING THE DAMAGE The truck was removed shortly after noon, and state DOT engineers were assessing the damage to the column, and also to the underside of the bridge from the heat of the fire, said Nelson, whose agency owns the overpass that spans the six-lane highway. She said the truck was carrying no cargo and that the fire was ignited by the fuel in the gas tank. The accident caused heavy delays in the area until midday, backing up traffic at 72nd Street in both directions for about two miles to the Belt Parkway and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, said city DOT spokesman Craig Chin. Eastbound lanes reopened at 11:30 p.m.. All but one westbound lane leading to Staten Island reopened at 1:15 p.m., said city DOT spokesman Craig Chin. The Gowanus Expressway runs into the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel that leads into Manhattan, and there were also long delays at the tunnel. ASSOCIATED PRESS material was used in this report.
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