randy pierce survives his brush with death, but not every driver is quite so lucky. tanker truck explosion brings a bridge of concrete and steel crashing to the ground. >> this looks like a terrible collapse of this roadway. as you can see, the fire is still burning. >> july 24th, 1998. it's friday afternoon and interstate 40 is jammed with travelers racing to get an early start on the summer weekend. but many drivers don't realize these snake-like curves near connolly springs, north carolina, can be difficult to navigate. even deadly. fire and rescue crews race to the scene of a tanker truck that has spun out of control and slammed into a bridge. as they get closer and closer, a thick billowing cloud of black smoke looms ominously on the horizon. >> we've had a lot of wrecks, single vehicle including tractor trailers and small passenger vex. this is one of the most dangerous areas of interstate 40 in north carolina. >> traffic comes to a standstill. some motorists even resort to driving the wrong way in the emergency lane in order to exit the freeway from an on ramp