If you're like me, you rely on I-380 to get to work and back home daily. I come from Cedar Falls and drive into Cedar Rapids. Today I got a heads-up from a co-worker that the interstate was shut down near Brandon heading southbound due to an accident of some sort.

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I was routed through Brandon and was able to scoot back onto 380 a short time later, with little time lobbed off my commute. If you experienced this detour, you're likely wondering what happened.

The delay was due to a semi crashing and starting on fire early this morning

The closure was caused by a single-vehicle crash when a semi-driver fell asleep, then lost control, and crashed into a guardrail. This caused the semi to go up in flames according to KCRG.

The crash occurred on the bridge over Lime Creek and caused a good deal of damage. The driver was able to escape the truck with no injury. He was identified as 49-year old Ryan Thieman of Marble Rock according to the KCRG report. He was also cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

 

Crash sight via Google Maps
Crash sight via Google Maps
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As a result of the crash and fire that followed, the southbound lanes of I-380 were closed down between exit 55 (County Road V65) and Exit 49 (County Road D48) for nearly 4 and a half hours while crews worked to extinguish the fire and clear the roadway of debris. As you can see from KCRGs video below, the truck was a complete loss. The report says leaking fuel ignited and fire proceeded to fully engulf the semi.

 

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