FORT LAUDERDALE --
Fort Lauderdale police said the man responsible for a fiery chain reaction crash into a gas station Sunday had an extensive driving record.
The crash happened at a BP gas station at Davie Boulevard and Southwest 27th Avenue.
Police said Roy Link, 26, was driving his 2008 Dodge pickup truck on Davie Boulevard when he hit a 1992 Buick and then veered into the station, where customers were refueling their vehicles.
Photographer David Steinlauf saw it all and captured it with his camera. He was driving behind the truck when the incident happened.
According to Steinlauf, the driver of the pickup was at fault.
"He was speeding. He ran a red light, hit a white car I think, bounced off of it, drove across the intersection over the sidewalk into the gas station, instantly exploded," Steinlauf said.
He also described the chaos that followed after the crash.
"Instantly exploded -- just huge fireballs, smoke, people running, screaming," Steinlauf said. "It was incredible."
Firefighters had to foam down the truck long after the crash because the heat was so intense that they were concerned it would ignite a second time.
Elaina Cabrera was inside a car being fueled at the station. She said her friend, Winston Mottley, ran around the car after the first explosion. Once she got her daughter and granddaughter out of the car, they tried to get to Mottley, but all she saw was a wall of fire.
A total of seven people were taken to Broward General Hospital. Cabrera's daughter suffered significant burns but should recover. Mottley is in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital, suffering from severe burns.
The driver of the truck managed to get out of the burning vehicle.
Fort Lauderdale police continue to investigate the incident.
The gas station was closed on Monday.
Copyright 2008 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
