C.W. Porter says he plans to carry two fire extinguishers in his pickup truck after what he saw Tuesday at the South Red Creek along State Highway 208.

The Scurry County resident was northbound on State Highway 208 after a doctor's visit in San Angelo when he and another motorist came across the burning wreck of a liquefied propane gas tractor-trailer tanker at the South Red Creek Bridge, just before the rig exploded.

The tanker truck's driver died in the incident.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has identified the driver as Clifton Michael Gesch, 23, of San Angelo. His family has declined to comment.

While funeral arrangements are pending, unanswered questions surround the crash, including the reason the truck left the road and Gesch's cause of death. Gesch's remains are being sent to the Lubbock County Medical Examiners Office for review.

Investigators hope to clear up some of the mystery next week. Porter has given his account of the crash to authorities in hope of helping the investigation.

As Porter approached the bridge Tuesday, a pickup truck in front of him spun off the road. He said he saw torn-up tire fragments, such as those left behind when a vehicle has a blowout, and a windshield in the road.

Porter pulled off behind the pickup truck, thinking that truck had a blowout. But the man in that vehicle said he was fine and pointed to the bridge.

"It was the strangest thing I've ever seen," Porter said.

The tractor-trailer had flipped over and looked as if it was partially stuck under the bridge, he said.

"All 18 tires were sticking straight up in the air," Porter said.

It did not look as if the tractor-trailer had jackknifed, Porter said. Rather, it looked as if it went end-over-end.

"We couldn't see or hear anybody inside it," he said.

The wreckage was on fire, but the men started walking toward it anyway, Porter said. About 15 feet from the rig, the hair on his face, arms and legs began to singe from the heat.

The tires were popping, and black smoke was billowing up, he said.

Porter and the other man stopped, having realized the truck was carrying propane, and stepped back. They couldn't see inside the partially crushed cab from where they stood, so they scanned the surrounding area in case the driver had been ejected.

"When we figured out there was nothing we could do, it made us sick to our stomachs," Porter said.

A diesel tank on the tractor truck blew while the men were standing there, Porter said.

Soon after that, authorities arrived and cleared the area, knowing that the propane tank on the trailer would soon explode.

Trooper Shawn Baxter, DPS media relations contact in San Angelo, said Friday that authorities are still speaking with witnesses about the crash.

The crash's cause has not been identified, Baxter said. Authorities will return to the site early next week and use a laser-transit system to electronically re-create what might have happened.

Porter said Tuesday's crash was the third one that he has tried to help with at that bridge on State Highway 208. He travels the road often - at least once a week - for doctor appointments in San Angelo.

Porter said he feels as if he could have made a difference if he'd had a fire extinguisher with him. That's why he plans to take them with him now.

"There's no way of knowing" how it could have turned out, he said.