SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The tanker truck crash in Teutopolis that killed five people may have started when another vehicle tried to pass the chemical-laden truck, a federal transportation official said Sunday.
The tanker truck was carrying caustic anhydrous ammonia when it jackknifed Friday night, and hit a utility trailer parked just off the highway, according to Tom Chapman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. The tank carrying anhydrous ammonia hit the trailer hitch of the other vehicle, which punched a six-inch (15 centimeter) hole in the chemical container, Chapman said during news conference Sunday.
Chapman said the tanker truck’s driver pulled to the right and ran off the road as it traveled west on U.S. 40 in Teutoplis, a small community about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northeast of St. Louis.
“It happened in a relatively short period of time,” Chapman said. “This was a rapid sequence of events.”
The accident occurred about 8:40 p.m. local time, Chapman said, revising the 9:25 p.m. time authorities originally gave. The crash spilled roughly half the truck’s 7,500 gallon (28,390-liter) load. The rest was drained and moved to a “secure location” for the NTSB’s investigation, authorities said late Saturday, as area residents were allowed to return to their homes about 24 hours after being evacuated.
Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said the five dead included three from the same family: one adult and two children under 12. The other two were adult motorists from out of state, Rhodes said. Additionally, five people were airlifted to hospitals, their conditions unknown.
Authorities have indicated the deaths are believed to have resulted from the effects of the chemical and not from the traffic crash itself.
About 500 residents within a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius of the crash site were evacuated after the accident, including northeastern parts of Teutopolis.
