Scary Moment (or two or three)

My niece and I were on our way to my parents house, when about 45 minutes into our hour and a half drive, I noticed a cloud of smoke coming from what looked the side of the road about an mile ahead. I thought maybe someone was burning leaves on the side of the road, something that happens in rural places. Then, an enormous cloud of smoke and flames burst into the air. At this point we were about 1/4 of a mile away from the explosion. My niece and I were amazed yet very nervous about proceeding ahead towards the black cloud - luckily there was an exit before the accident and we got off there and stopped on the overpass to check it out. We couldn't see the vehicle or whatever was causing the flames and smoke, but it was one of the most frightening things I have ever seen. We didn't watch long, as I still had to drive another 45 minutes and I was still a bit shaken up. This morning I checked out the internet to see what caused the accident. Unfortunately, a gasoline tanker truck driver was killed as his truck tipped on its side. They don't know much about the actual accident yet, but I am sure more details will come out in the next day or two. I am just so thankful that I wasn't driving faster, or didn't leave a minute earlier...otherwise, who knows how close we would have been to the truck. The whole time, Sarah was reading books and in her own world in the back seat, totally oblivious to what was happening. So, I get to jump back in the car today to drive home, how exciting...