The "nick of time" is a phrase everyone often nonchalantly throws around in casual conversation. But for Allen Shipley, 25, of Trafford, the saying is poignant indeed, for it was only in the "nick of time" that he narrowly escaped the clutches of a fiery death.

Around 4:30 in the morning on Tuesday, February 18th, Allen Shipley allegedly found that the steering of his 18-wheeler tanker truck gave out. Swerving out of control on the Parkway East, the truck trailer's rear wheels clipped a concrete barrier at an emergency pull-off spot along the interstate. The truck, carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline, overturned, flipped on its side, and slid 150 feet before bursting into a fiery explosion.

Shipley, disoriented and miraculously only bruised, managed to climb out of the tanker truck's passenger door, with the help of two passerby motorists. All three watched in safety as the truck became totally engulfed in flames.

For the next couple of days after the accident, the far left eastbound lane of the Parkway East, as well as the the Grant Street and Wood Street entrance ramps, were closed as workers replaced seven 20-foot sections of concrete barrier and three slabs that make up a length of the passing lane. The construction disrupted traffic not only in that area of Downtown, but also on Green Tree Hill and the Fort Duquesne Bridge.

We mentioned earlier that Shipley's steering wheel allegedly gave out -- why? Because according to a state police investigation after the mishap, the mechanics of the steering assembly were perfectly sound.

From their preliminary findings, investigators have reason to believe that the truck accident was not caused by a mechanical failure, but an inattentive Shipley himself, perhaps "falling asleep at the wheel."

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