Fort Lauderdale Chemical Spill Sends Two to Hospital

By Andrew Tran, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Jun. 27–FORT LAUDERDALE — Two men were treated after inhaling pool chemicals that leaked when a truck crashed on Ocean Boulevard on Wednesday, authorities said.

A worker from Infinity Swimming Pools crashed his truck into the corner of a concrete barrier at the 2400 block of North Ocean Boulevard at about 9:30 a.m., said police. Officers said they were unsure why the vehicle crashed.

Almost 85 gallons of liquid chlorine and five gallons of muriatic acid spilled into the street, said Sgt Frank Sousa, a police spokesman.

The mixture created a vapor that caused respiratory problems for the driver and a construction worker who arrived to help. They were taken to Broward General Medical Center.

Fire officials diluted and cleaned up the spilled chemicals. Authorities blocked lanes in both directions and diverted traffic for about an hour.

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